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Division  BP7S 

Section  »  VT  4"  J 


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L  I  fo.  e:   '^-'^ 

OF 

MAHOMET, 

u-iTH  SKETCHES  OF  the  REIGA'S 
OF  HIS  SUCCESSORS 

ABUBEKER,    OMAR, 
OTHMAN,  and  ALL 

From  tii^Deciine\S^Fjlloy  the  Roman  Empire, 

By  EDWARD  GIBBON,  Esq. 

Printed  at  Leomin_ster,  ey  Sji^^wn  yViiuhi:, 
F©R  JOHN  WHITING,  of  Lancaster,       • 
— i^c; — 


THE 

LIFE 


OF 


MAHOMET; 

THBtcities  of  Mecca  and  Meduia 
present,  in  the  heart  of  Asia,  the 
form,  or  rather  the  substance,  of  a  com- 
monwealth. The  grandfather  of  Mahomet, 
and  his  Uneal  ancestors,  appear  in  foreign 
and  domestic  tnmsactions  as  the  pricces 
of  their  comitry  ;  but  they  reigned,  hke 
Pericles  at  Athene,  or  the  Medici  at  Flor- 
ence, by  the  opinion  of  their  wisdom  and 
integrity  ;  their  iniluence  vvt.s  divided  with 
their  patrimony  ;  and  the  sceptre  was  trans- 
ferred from  the  uncles  of  the  prophet  to  a 
younger  branch  of  the  tribe  of  Koreish. 
On  solem^n  occasions  they  convened  the 
assembly  of  the  people  ;  and,  since  man- 
kind must  be  either  compelled  or  persuad- 
ed to  obey,  the  use  and  reputation  of  ora- 
tv-ry  among  the  ancient  Arabs  is  the  clear- 
est, evidence  of  public  freedom.  But  their 
smiple  freedom  vras  of  a  very  dinerent  cast 


4  THE  LIFE    OF  MAHOMET. 

fi^om  the  nice  r.nd  artificiil  machinery  of 
the  Greek  nnd  Reman  repubUcs,  in  which 
each  rnemberi;- possessed  an  undivided 
share  of  the  civil  and  political  rights  of  the 
community.  In  the  more  simple  state  of 
the  Arabs,  the  nation  is  free,  because  each 
of  her  sens  disdains  a  base  submission  to 
the  will  of  a  master.  His  breast  is  fortifi- 
ed v/ith  the  austere  virtues  of(J|irage,  pa- 
tience, and  sobriety  ;  the  Jove  of  inde- 
pendence prompts  him  to  exe.rcise  the 
habits  of  self-comm^ard  ;  and  the  fear  Hf 
dishonour  guards  liim  h'om  the  meaner 
a;>prchension^  of  pain,  of  danger,  and  of 
de?\t]i.  The  gravity  and  iirmness  of  the 
mind  is  conspicuous  in  his  outvrard  de- 
inccLncr  :  his  speech  is  bioWj  vreighty,  and 
concise,  he  is  seldom  provoked  to  laughter, 
his  only  gesture  is  that  of  stroking  his 
bce^rd,  the  venerable  symibol  of  m^anhood ; 
.'jid  the  sense  of  his  ovv'n  importance  teach- 
es hira  to  accost  his  equals  vrithout  levity, 
and  biis  superiors  without  awe.  The  liberty 
of  the  S^araccns  survived  their  conquests  : 
the  iirst  caMphs  indulged  the  bold  and 
iumiliar  language  of  their  subjects  :  they 
ascended  the  pulpit  to  ]-?er^iade  and  edify 
the    eorxereeation   ;  .  i:or   was   it   ]3eforc 


THE    LIFE  OF   MAHOMET.  b 

the  seat  of  empire  was  removed  to  the 
Tigris,  that  the  Abbassides  adopted  the 
proud  arid  pompous  ceremonial  ol  the  ^fe- 
siaa  and  Byzantine  courts.  W^  ?4 

The  base  and  plebeian  origin  of  Mahom- 
et is  an  unskilful  ca.kimny  of  the  Chris- 
tians, who  exalt  instead  of  degrading  the 
merit  of  thdr  adversary.  His  descent  from 
Ismael  vv'^Ri  national  privilege  or  fable ; 
but  if  the  first"  steps  of  the  pedigree  are 
dark  and  doubtful,  he  could  produce  many 
generations  of  pure  and  genuine  nobility  : 
he  sprung  from  the  tribe  of  Koreisi"!  and 
the  family  of  Hashem,  the  most  illustrious 
of  the  Arabs,  the  princes  of  Mecca,  and 
the  hereditary  guardians  of  the  Caaba. 
The  grandiather  of  Mahomet  v/as  Abdol 
Motaileb,  the  son  of  Hashem,  a  wealthy 
and  generous  citizen,  who  relieved  the  dis- 
tress of  famine  with  the  supplies  of  com- 
merce. Mecca,  w^hich  had  been  fed  by  the 
li'oerality  of  the  father,  v/as  saved  by  th^ 
courage  of  the  son.*  The  kingdom  61 
Yemen  was  subject  to  the  Christian  prin- 
ces of  Abyssinia  ;  their  vassal  Abrahah  v/as 
provoked  by  an  insult  to  avenp^e  the  honour 
cfthe  cross  ;  and  the  holy  city  was  invest- 
ed by  a  train  of  elephants   and  ao  aririy  of 


G  TPIE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

Africans.     A  treaty  wns  proposed  ;   and 
in  the  first  audience,   the    grandfather   of 
M«]iomet  demanded  the  restitution  of  liis 
r-r-^  .       ''  And  v/hy,  said  Abrahah,  do 
'■  y:u  not  rather  implore  my  clemency  in 
'-  favour  of  your   temple,   which  I  have 
' '  threatened  to  destroy  ? "       * '  Because, ' ' 
replied  the   intrepid  chief,    ''the   cattle  is 
^"^  my  own :  the  Cciaba  belone^fc  the  o;ods, 
' '  and  t/)ey  ^^"ill  defend   their  house    from 
'•  injury  "^  and  sacrilege.''     The  want  of 
revisions,  or  the  valour  of  the   Koreish, 
^^i:ompelled  the  Abyssinians  to  a  disgraceful 
"retreat  ;  their  discomfiture  has  been  adorn- 
ed vrith  a  miraculous  ilight  of  birds,   v^ho 
shov.-ered  dov/n  stones  on  the  heads  of  tlie 
infidels  ;  and   the  deliverance    was  long 
<:omAmemorated  by  the  eera  of  the  elephant. 
The  glory  oFAbdol  Motalleb  was  crowned 
vdth  domestic  happiness,  his  life  was  pro- 
longed to  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
■^.xa^'s,  and  he  became  the  father  of  fix 
iaug'hters  and  r.hnrteen    sors.     His  best 
'  eloved  Abdallah  was  the  most  beautiful 
;  nd  modest  of  the  Arabian  youth  ;   and  in 
'lie  first  night,   when  he  consummated  his 
marric-ge  with  Amina,  of  the  noble  race  of 
the  Zcdirltes,  tv- o  hundred  ^'irgins  are  said 


THE    LIFE  OF   MAHOMET.  / 

to  ha,ve  expired  of  jealous].'  and  despair. 
Mahomet,  or  more  properly  Mohammed, 
the  only  son  of  Abdall'ah  and  Amina,  v/as 
born  at  Mecca,  four  years  after  the  death 
of  Justinian,  and  two  months  after  the  de- 
feat of  the  "Abj/ssinians,  whose  victory 
would  have  introduced  into  the  Caaba  the 
rehgion  of  the  Christians.  In  his  eai^Iy 
infancy,  he  #a3  deprived  of  his  ilithcr,  his 
mother,  and  his  grandfather ;  his  uncles 
w^ere  strong  and  numerous  ;  and  in  the  di- 
"^dsion  of  the  inheritance,  the  orphan's  share 
w^as  reduced  to  five  camels  and  an  jEthiopi- 
rai  maid-servant.  At  home  and  abroad, 
in  peace  and  war,  Abu  Taleb,  the  most 
respectable  of  his  uncles,  v/as  the  guide 
and  guardian  of  his  }'outh  ;  in  his 
tvv^enty  fifth  year,  he  entered  into  the  ser- 
vice of  Cadijah,a  rich  and  noble  v/idow  of 
Mecca,  who  soon  rev.Tirded  his.  fidelitv 
v/ith  the  gift  of  her  hand  and  fortune. 
The  marriage  contract,  in  the  simple  style 
of  antiquity,  recites  the  mutual  love  c^ 
MahomiCt  and  Cadijah  ;  describes  him  as 
the  most  accomplished  of  the  tribe  of  Ko- 
reish  ;  and  stipulates  a  dowry  of  twel)^ 
ounces  of  gold  and  tv/enty  cam^els,  v^'hich 
vv'as  supplied  by  the  liberality   of  ht*  u:i 


8  THE   LIFE    or  ]NrAiIO?*lET» 

cle.  By  this  alliance,  the  son  of  Abdal- 
lah  was  restored  to  the  station  of  his  an- 
cestors ;  and  the  judicious  matron  ^\as 
content  with  his  domestic  virtues,  till,  in 
the  fortieth  jeai'  of  his  age,  he  assumed 
the  title  of  aprophet,andprociairnedthe  re- 
ligion of  the  Koran » 

According  to  the  tradition   of  his  com- 
panions, Mahomet  v;as  distinguished  hj 
the  beauty  of  his  person,  an  outward  gif'c 
which  is  seldom  despised,  except  by  those 
to  whom  it  has  been  refused.     Before  he 
spoke,  the  orator  engaged  on  his  side  the 
affections  of  a  public  or  private  audience. 
They  applaudedhis  commanding  presence, 
his  majestic  aspect,  his   piercing  eye,  his 
gracious    smile,   his   flowing   beard,    his 
countenance  that  painted  every    sensation 
of  the  soul,  and  his  gestures  that  enforced 
each  expresson  of  the  tongue.     In  the  fa- 
miliar offices  of  life  he  scrupulously  adher- 
ed to  the  grave  and   ccreiiionious    polite- 
Tiess  of  his  country  :    his  respectful  atten- 
tion to  the  rich   and  povierfui  ivas  clignin- 
ed  by  his  condescension   and  affabiJity  to 
the  poorest  citizens  of  Mecca  :  the  frank- 
ness of  his  manner    concealed   tJie  ^irtiiicc 
of  his  vievv^s  ;  jmd  the   habits   of  counesy 


THE   LIFE  OF   MA2I0MET.  9 

were  imputed   to   personal   friendship  or 
universal  benevolence.     His  memory  was 
capacious  and  retentive,  iiis  wit  easy  and 
social,  his  imagination  sublime,  his  judg- 
ment clear,  rapid,  and  decisive.     He  pos- 
sessed the  courage  both    of  thought  and 
action  ;  and,  altliough  his   designs   might 
gradually   expand  with  his    success,   the 
lirst  idea  which  he  entertained   of  his  di- 
v'lnt  mission  bears  the.  stamp  of  an  original 
P-^  superior  genius.  The  son  of  Abdallah  was 
!;ducated  in  the  bosom  of  the  noblest  race, 
n  the  use  of  the  purest  dialect  of  Arabia; 
md  the  fluency  of  his  speech  was  correct- 
ed and  enlianccd   by   the    practice  of  dis- 
creet and  seasonable  silence.     With  these 
:>ovv'ers  of  eloquence,    Mahomet   vras   an 
lliterate  Barbarian  :  his  youth    had  never 
jeen  instructed  in  the  arts   of  reading  and 
.mting;  the  common  ignorance  exempted 
lim  from  sliame  or  reproach,    but  he  was 
'educed  to  a  narrow  circle   of  existence, 
md   deprived   of  those    faithful  mirrors, 
vhich  refieet  to  our   mind,  the  minds   of 
;age3  and  lieroes.    Yet  the  book  of  nature 
md  of  man  was  open    to   liis    view;    and 
iome  fancy  has  been  indulged   in  the  po- 
itical  and  philosophical  observations  which  ^ 


10  THE   LIFE   OF  MAHOMET-. 

are  ascribed  to  the  Arabian  traveller,  H 
compares  the  nations  and  the  religions  c 
the  earth  ;  discovers  the  weakness  of  th 
Persian  aiid  Roman  monarchies ;  beholds 
with  pity  and  indignation,  the  degenerac 
of  the  times  ;  and  resolves  to  unite,  unde 
one  God  and  one  king,  the  invincibl 
spirit  and  primitive  virtues  of  the  Arab== 
Our  more  accurate  inquiry  will  suggcsl 
that  instead  of  visiting  the  courts,  th 
camps,  the  temples  of  the  East,  the  tv/ 
jouniies  of  Mahomet  nito  Syria  were  cor 
lined  to  the  fairs  of  Bostra  and  Damascus 
that  he  was  only  thirteen  years  of  age  ^vhe 
he  accompanied  the  caravan  of  his  uncle 
2nd  tliat  his  duty  compelled  him  to  retur 
as  soon  as  lie  had  disposed  of  the  mei 
chandise  of  Cadijah.  In  these  hasty  an 
supeiiicial  excursions,  the  eye  of  geniii 
mi«rht  discern  some  oljjects  invisible  t 
his  grosser  companions  ;  some  seeds  ( 
knowledge  maght  be  cast  upon  a  fruitfi 
soil  ;  but  his  ignorance  of  the  Syriac  lax 
guagc  must  have  checked  his  curiosity 
and  I  cannot  perceive,  in  the  life  or  wrr 
ings  of  Mahomet,  that  his  prospect  wf 
far  extended  beyond  the  limits  of  the  A 
rabian  vv'orkl.  From  every  region  of  th: 


THE  LIFE    OF    MAHOI.fET.  li 

jolitaiy  world,  the  pilgrims  of  Mecca  were 
mnuaily  assembled,  by  the  calls  of  devo- 
ioii  and  commerce  ;  in  the  free  concourse 
)f  multitudes,  a  simple  citizen,  in  his  na- 
ive tongue,  might  study  the  political  state 
md  character  of  the  tribes,  the  theory  and 
practice  of  the  Jews  imd  Christians.  Some 
asefui  strangers  might  be  tempted,  or  for- 
ced, to  implore  the  rights  of  hospitality  ; 
md  the  enemies  of  Mahomet  have  named 
:he  Jew,  the  Persian,  and  the  Syrian  monk, 
ivhom  thev  accuse  of  lendiner  their  secret 
lid  to  the  composition  of  the  Koran.  Con- 
rersation  enriches  the  understanding,  but 
ioiitude  is  the  school  of  genius ;  and  the 
Liniformity  of  a  work  denotes  the  hand  of 
I  single  artist.  From  his  earliest  youth, 
iMahomet  was  addicted  to  religious  con- 
lemplation  :  each  year,  during  the  montli 
:3f  Ramada]!,  he  withdi'ew  from  the  world, 
md  from  the  arms  of  Cadijah  :  in  the  cave 
3f  Hera,  three  miles  from  Mecca,  he  con- 
sulted the  spirit  of  fraud  or  enthusiasm, 
whose  abode  is  not  in  the  heavens,  but  in 
the  mind  of  the  prophet.  The  faith  vrhich, 
under  the  name  of  Islam,  he  preached  to 
his  family  and  nation,  is  compounded  of  an 
eternal  trutli,and  a  necessary  fiction,TH  at 


12         the  life  of  mahomet. 

there  is  only    one  god,    and  that 
Mahomet  is  the  apostle  of  God. 

It  is  the  boast  of  the  Jewish  apologists, 
that  while  the  learned  nations  of  antiquit}'- 
were  deluded  by  the  fables  of  polytheism, 
their  simple  ancestors  of  Palestine  preserv- 
ed the  knowledge  and  ^A^orship  of  the  true 
God.       The  moral  attributes  of  Jeho-^ali 
may  not  easily  be  reconciled  with  the  stan- 
dard oi  human   virtue  :    his  metaphysical 
qualities  are  darkly    expressed  ;    but  each 
]Dage  of  the  Pentateuch  and  the   Prophets 
is  ail  evidence  of  his  power  :   the  unity  ol 
his  name  is  inscribed  on  the   first  table  of 
the  law  ;  and  his  sanctuary   was  never  de- 
filed by  any  visible   im.age  of  the  invisible 
essence.     After  the  ruin  of  the   temple, 
the  faith  o f  the  Hebrew  exiles  Vv^as  purified, 
fixed,   and  enlightened,    by   the   spiritual 
devotion  of  the  synagogue ;   and  the  au- 
thority  of  jNlahomet   v/ ill  not  justify  his 
l^eipetual  reproach,  that  the  Je\A s  or  Jvlec- 
ca  or  Medina  adored  Ezra  as  the  son  of 
God.     But  the  children  of  Israel  had  ceas- 
ed to  be  a  people  ;  and -the  religions  of  the 
w^orld  w^ere  guilty,  at  least  in  the   eyes    of 
the  prophet,  of  giving  sons,  or  daughters, 
or  companions,  to  the   supreme  God.     In 


THE  LIFE   OF    MAH0:MET.  13 

the  rude  idolatry  of  the  Arabs,  the  crime 
is  manifest  aiid  audacious  :  the  Sabians  are 
poorly  excused  by  the  pre-ernincnce  of 
the  first  piaiiet,  or  intelligepxe,  in  their  cai- 
lestial  hierarch}'  ;  and  in  the  Magian  sysl  - 
em  the  conflict  of  the  two  principles  Lea*a}'s 
the  imperfection  of  the  conqueror.  The 
Christians  of  the  seventh  century  had  ii:- 
sensibly  relapsed  into  a  serabiance  of  pag- 
anism :  their  public  and  pri^^ate  vows  vvere 
addressed  to  the  relics  and  images  that  dis- 
graced the  temples  of  the  East:  the  thron;^ 
of  the  Almiglity  was  darkened  by  a  cloud  of 
martyrs,  and  saints  and  angels,  the  oh.ject;. 
of  popular  veneration  ;  and  the  Colly- 
ridicui heretics,  who  flourished  in  the  fru!.- 
ful  soil  of  Arabia,  invested  the  VirgiaMu- 
ryvriththe  name  and  honours  of  a  god- 
dess. The  mysteries  of  the  TrhrriyWi'l 
Incarnation  appear  to  contradict  tlie  princi- 
ple of  the  divine  unity.  In  their  cjl^vioiis 
sense,  they  introduce  three  equal  deiries, 
and  transform  tlie  man  Jesus  into  the  sub- 
stance of  the  son  of  God :  an  orthodox 
commentary  v\dll  satisfy  only  a  belie\'ing 
mind  :  intemperate  curiosity  and  zeal  had 
torn  the  veil  of  the  sanctuaiy  ;  and  each  of 
the  Oriented  sects  Vv^as  e?.a'er  to  confeso  th-it 
B 


14  TKE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

all,  except  themselves,   desen-ed  the  re- 
proach of  idolatry    and  polytheism.     The 
creed  of  Mahomet  is  free  from  suspicicn 
or  ambiguity  ;  and  the  Koran  is  a  glorious 
testimxny  to  the  unity  of  God.     The  pro- 
phet of  Mecca  rejected  the  ^vorship  of  idols 
and  men,  of  stars  and  planets,   on  the  ra^ 
tional  principle  tliat   whatever  rises  must 
set,    that    whatever    is   born    must  die, 
that  whatever  is  corruptible   must   decay 
and  perish,     in  the  author  of  the  universe, 
his  rational  enthusiasm  confessed  and  a- 
tlored  an  infinite  and  eternal  being,  without 
form  or  place,  vrithcut  issue  cr  similitude, 
present  to  our  most   secret  thoughts,   ex- 
isting by  the  necessity  of  his  own  nature, 
and   deriving  from  himself  all  moral  ar.d 
intellectual  perfection.       These   sublime 
truths  thus  anncuriccel  in  the  language  of 
the  prophet,  are  firmly  held  by   his  disci- 
ples, ajid  defined  with   metaphysical  pre- 
cision by  the   interpreters  of  the  Koran. 
A  philosophic  theist  might  subscribe  the 
popular  creed  of  the  Mahometans  ;  a  creed 
too  sublime  perhaps  for  our  present  facul- 
ties.    What  object  remains  for  the  fanc}', 
or  even  the  understanding,  when  v\'e  have 
abstracted   Oom  the  unknown,   substance 
di  ideas  of  time  andfipacc,   ofm^otionand 


THE   LIFi:  OF  MAPIOMET.  15 

matter,  of  sensation  and  reflection  ?  The 
first  principle  of  reason  and  revelation  was 
confirmed  by  the  voice  of  Mahomet :  his 
proselytes,  from  India  to  Morocco,  are 
distiiTiguished  by  tlie  name  of  Unitarians  ; 
and  the  danger  of  idolatry  haf-:  been  pre- 
vented by  the  interdiction  of  imag-es.  The 
doctrine  of  eternal  decrees  and  absolute 
predestination  is  strictly  embraced  by  the 
Mahometans  ;  and  they  struggle  Vvith  thci 
common  difficulties,  hoiD  to  reconcile  the 
prescience  of  God  with  the  freedom  and 
responsibility  of  man  ;  /wa)  to  explain  the 
permission  of  evil  under  the  reign  of  in- 
finite power  and  infinite  goodness. 

The  God  of  i?.atuie  has  written  his  ex- 
istence on  rji  his  works, and  his  lav/  in  the 
heart  of  man.  To  restore  tj-ie  knowledge 
of  the  oj^*c  and  the  practice  of  tlie  other, 
has  been  the  real  or  pretended  aim  of  iYx<^ 
prophets  of  every  age:  the  liberivity  of 
!hlahomet  allowed  to  his  predecessors  the 
same  credit  v/hich  he  claimed  for  himself/ 
ani  the  chain  of  inspiration  was  prolong"- 
ed  from  the  fall  of  Adam  to  the  promulga- 
tion of  the  Koran.  During  that  period, 
some  rays  of  prophetic  light  had  been  im- 
parted to  one  hundred    and  tvrenty-four 


16  THE   LITE  CI  MAHOMET. 

ihouscind  of  the  elect,  discriminated  by 
their  respective  measure  of  virtue  and 
grace;  three  hundred  and  thirteen  apostles 
vrere  sent  ^^•ith  a  special  coiTxmission  to 
recal  their  country  from  idolatry  and  \'ice; 
one  hundred  and  four  volumes  have  been 
dictated  by  the  holy  spirit  ;  and  six  legis- 
lators-of  transcendent  brightness  have  an- 
nounced to  mankind  the  six  successive  re- 
velations of  various  rites,  but  of  one  im* 
jnutabie religion.  The  authority  and  sta- 
tion of  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses, 
Christ,  and  Mahomet,  rise  in  just  grada- 
tion al:>oye  each  other  ;  l:*ut  vvhosoever 
hates  or  rejects  any  one  of  the  prophets,  i^; 
numbered  v^ith  the^  infidels.  The  writ- 
ings of  the  patriarchs  vfcre  extant  only  in- 
the  apocryphal  copies  of  the  Greeks  and  Sy- 
rians :  the  conduct  of  Adam  had  not  en- 
ti  tied  him  to  the  gratitude  or  respect  of 
his  children ;  the  seven  p.recepta  of  Noah 
^\  ere  observed  by  an  inierior  and  imper- 
fcct  class  of  the  proselytes  of  the  synagogue; 
and  the  memory  of  Abraham  v/as  obscurely 
levered  by  the  Sabians  in  his  native  land 
of  Chald^ea  :  of  the  myriads  of  prophets, 
Moses  and  Christ  alone  lived  and  reigned; 
;  nd  the  rem.nant  of  the  ,  inspired  writings 


THE   LIFE  OF   MAHOMET.  17 

was  cOii-tprised  in  the  books  of  the  Old  and 
the  Nev/  Testament.  The  miraculous  sto- 
ry of  IMoses  is  consecrated  and  embellish- 
ed in  theKoran;  and  the  captive Jevfs  enjoy 
the  secret  revenge  of  imposing  their  ov/n 
belief  on  the  nations   whose  recent  creeds 
they  deride.     For  the  author  of  Christiani- 
ty ,theMahometans  are  taught  by  the  propliet 
to  entertain  an  high  &  mysterio^,  reverence. 
'*  Verily,  Christ  Jesus,  the  s9k  of  ?4ary, 
*'  is  the  apostle  of  God,   and  his  \vord, 
*^  which  he  conveyed   unt^  Mar)^,  and  a 
'*  Spirit  proceeding  from  him :  honourable 
*'  in  this  world,  and  in  the  v/orld  to  come  ; 
"*  and  one  of  those  who  approach  near  to 
'' thepresenee  of  God."      The  Vv^onders 
of  the  genuine  and  apocryphal  go':pels  are 
profusely  heaped  on  his  head  ;  and  the  La- 
tin church  has  not  disdained  to  borro\T' 
from  the  Koran  the  immaculate   concep- 
tion of  his  virgin  mother.     Yet  Je^nis  was 
a  mere  mortal  ;  and,    at  the  d^.y  of  nid^^- 
ment,  his  testimony  will  serve  to  cci-.demn 
both  the JeM^s, who  reject  him  as  aprophet,&' 
the  Christians,   who  adore  him  as  the  Son  * 
of  God.     The  malice   of  his  enemies  as- 
persed   his  reputation,    and  ponspir-ed  a- 
gainst  his  Hie  ;  but  their  i:i ten* i on  oi";ly  wa^ 

a 


18  THE  LIF£   or  MAHOMET. 

gailt  V,  ct  pliantom  or  a  criminal  was  sub- 
stituted on  the  cross,  and  the  innocent  s'liiit 
was  translated  to  the  seventh  iicaven.  Dur- 
ing' six  hundred  }'ears  the  gospel   was  the 
way  of  trulhand  sah'-ation  ;  but  the  Chris- 
tians insensibly  forgot  both  the  laws  a.nd 
the  example  of  their  founder;   and  Ma - 
liO.net  was  instructed  ^^y  the  Gnostics  to 
accuse  tlie  church,  as  ^  ell  as  the  synago- 
gae,  of  cormptiri^  the  integrity  of  the  sa- 
cred text.       The  piety  of  Piloses  and  of 
Ch.'Jst  rcjoiced^i  the  assurance  of  a  future 
prophet,  more^iistrious  than  themseh^es: 
the  cvrogelic  promise  of  the  Paraclete,  or 
Hoiy  Ghost,  v/as  prefigured  in  the  name, 
and  accomplished  in   the   person,  of  Ma- 
homet, the  greatest  and  the  lastcf  the  apos- 
t'esofGod. 

Tne  communication  of  ideas  reauires  a 
.^imilitudeof  tho't  &  language :  the  discourse 
of  a  philosopher  would  yibrate  without  effect 
on  the  ear  of  a  peasant  ;  yet  how  minute  is 
•rlie  distance  of  their  understandings,  if  it 
l-e  comrpared  with  the  contact  of  an  infinite 
.md  a  Unite  mind,  Vv'ith  th.e  woixl  of  God 
'•xpressed  by  tlic  tongue  or  the  pen  of  a 
mortal  ?  The  inspiration  of  the  Hebrew 
oro"Dhets,  of  the  a-oostles  and  eyani^eiists  of 


THE  LIFE  OF  r.IAHOMET.  19 

Cha-lst,  mp^xt   not  bs  incompatible    v/lth 
the  exercise  of  their  reason  and  memory  ; 
iind  the  diversity  of  their  genius  is  strcng'- 
iy  mirkei  in  tlie  style  and  composition  of 
the  books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament. 
But  Maliomet  was  content  with  a  charact- 
er, more  humble,  yet  more  sublime,    of  a 
simple  editor  :  the  substance  of  the  Koran, 
accordin;:^  to  himself  or  his  disciples,    m 
uiicreated   and  eternal  ;    subsisting  in  the  , 
essence  of  the  Deity,  and  inscribed  v/itha 
pen  of  light  on  the  table  of  his  ererlasting 
decrees.       A  p :iper  copy  in  a  volume  of 
silk  and  gems,  was  brought  down  to  the> 
lowest  heaven  by  the  angel   Gabriel,  who, 
luider  the  Jevvdsh  ceconomy,  had  indeed 
been  dispatched  on  the  most  important  er- 
rands ;  and  this  trusty  messenger  succes- 
sively revealed  the  chapters  ancll?  verses  to 
the  Arabian  prophet.     Instead  of  a  perpet- 
ual and  perfect  measure  of  the  divine  will, 
the  fragments  of  the  Koran  v/ere  produced 
at  the  discretion  of  Mahomet  ;  each  reve- 
lation is  suited  to  tlie  emergencies  of  his 
policy  or  passion  and  all  cor.tradiction  is  re- 
moved by  the  saving  maxim,  that  any  text 
of  scripture  is  abro^^ated  or  modiiied  bv 
any  subsequent    passage.     Tiie    word  of 


29  THE   LIJE  OF  MAKOMET. 

God,  and  of  the  apostle,  was  diiig'ently  re- 
corded  by  his  disciples  on  pahn-leaves  and 
the  shoulder-bones  of  mutton  ;  and  the 
pages  ,  \vithoiit  order  or  connection,  were 
cast  into  a  domestic  chest  in  the  custody 
of  one  of  his  v/ives.  Tvro  years  after  the 
death  of  Mahomet,  the  sacred  volume  was 
collected  and  published  by  his  friend  and 
successor  Abubeker  :  the  work  was  re- 
vised by  the  caliph  0thman,  in  the  thir- 
tieth year  of  the  Hegira  ;  and  the  various 
editions  of  the  Koran  assert  the  same  mir- 
aculous priviledge  of  an  unifcrm  and  in- 
corruptible text.  In  the  spirit  of  enthu- 
siasm or  vanity,  the  prophet  rests  the 
truth  of  his  mission  on  the  merit  of  his 
book,  audaciously  chaileng-es  both  men 
and  ano'cls  to  imitate  the  beauties  of 
a  sFiigle  page,  and  presumes  to  assert  that 
God  alone  could  dictate  this  incompar- 
able performance.  This  argument  is 
most  powerfully  addressed  to  a  devout  A- 
rabian,  v/hose  mind  is  attuned  to  faith  and 
rapture,  whose  ear  is  delighted  by  the 
m.usic  of  sounds,  and  whose  ignorance  is 
incapable  of  comparing  tlje  productions  of 
human  e'enias.  The  hainiioriv  and  co- 
piousntiTis    of  style  will  not   reach,   n;   a. 


THE  LI  hi:   Oi    MAHOM.CT.     .  21 

version  the  Europciui  inficiel, :  lie  v\'ili  pe- 
ruse with  impatience  tlie  endless  incoher- 
ent rhapsody  of  fable,  and  precept,  and 
declamation,  v.hich  seldom  excites  a  sen- 
timent or  an  idea,  which  sometimes  crawls 
in  the  dust,  and- is  sometimes  lost  in  the 
clouds.  The  divine  attributes  exalt  the 
flmcy  of  the  Arabian  missionary  ;  but  his 
loftiest  strains  must  yield  to  the  sublime . 
simplicity  of  the  book  of  Job,  composed 
in  a  remote  age,  in  the  same  countiy  and 
in  the  same  language.  If  the  composition 
of  the  Koran  exceed  the  Eici^li^^  of  a  man, 
to  what  superior  intelligence  "siH^y.  we 
ascribe  the  Iliad  of  Homer  or  tlie  Philip^- 
pics  of  Demosthenes  ?  In  all  religions, 
thfi  life  of  the  founder  supplies  tlie  silence 
of  his  \^Titten  revelation  :  the  sayings  of 
Mahomet  were  so  many  lessons  of  truth  ; 
his  actions  so  many  examples  of  viriuc  ; 
und  tiie  public  and  pri'^'atc  m.emoriaIs  v/ere 
j:>reserved  by  his  wives  and  companions. 
At  the  end  of  two  hundred  years,  the  Son-- 
na  or  oral  law  was  fixed  and  consecrated 
by  the  labours  of  Al  Bo  char  i,  w^ho  dis- 
criminated seven  titousand  two  hundred 
and  seven ty-fiv^c  genuine  traditions,  from  a 
miiss  of  three  hundred  thou  sand  reports,  of  a 


22  THE  LIFE   OF   MAHOMET. 

more  doubtful  or  spurious  chajacter.  Each 
day  the  pious  author  prayed  in  the  tem- 
ple of  Mecca,  and  performed  h/is  abkitions 
Avith  the  water  of  Zemzem  :  the  pages 
were  successively  deposited  on  the  pulpit, 
and  the  sepulchre  of  the  apostle  ;  and  the 
"\^'Ork  has  been  ai)proved  loy  the  four  or- 
thodox sects  of  tlie  Sonnites. 

The  mission  of  the  ancient  pro])]iets, 
of  Moses  and  of  Jesus,  had  been  confirm- 
ed  by  many  splendid  prodigies,  and  Ma- 
homet was  repeatedly  urged,  by  the  in- 
habitants of  Mecca  and  Medina,  to  pro- 
duce a  similar  evidence  of  his  dirine  le- 
^Diion  ;  to  call  down  from  heaven- the  an- 
srel  or  the  volume  of  his  revelation,  to  cre- 
ate a  grij'den  in  the  desert,  or  to  kindje  a 
conSagration  in  the  unbelieving  city.  As 
often  as  he  is  pressed  by  the  demands  of 
the  Korcisb*,  he  involves  himself  in  the 
obscure  boast  of  vision  and  prophesy,  ap- 
peals to  the  intemol  proofs  o{'  his  doctrine, 
and  shields  himself  behind  the  providence 
of  God,  Vtdio  refuses  those  signs  and  won- 
ders that  would  depreciate  the  merit  of 
faith  and  aggravate  the  g»?ilt  ofinlidelity 
But  the  mxodest  or  ar.gry  tone  of  his  apol 
gics  betrays  his 


."!,. 


THE   LIFE  Cr  MAirOilET,  23 

jind  these  passages  of  scaiidai  establish, 
beyond  suspicion,  the  integrity  of  the 
Koraii.  The  votaries  of  Maiiomet  are 
more  assured  than  hhnself  of  his  miracu- 
Joiis  gifts,  and  their  confidence  and  credu- 
lity increase  as  they  aie  irather  remo^-ed 
from  the  time  and  place  of  his  spiritual 
exploits.  They  belie^-e  or  affirm  that  trees 
went  forth  lo  meet  him  ;  that  he  was  sa- 
luted by  stones  ;  that  water  gushed  from 
his  fingers  ;  that  he  fed  tlie  hungry,  cured 
the  sick,  and  raised  the  dead ;  that  a  beam 
groaned  to  him  ;  that  a  camel  complained 
to  him  ;  that  a  shoulder  of  mutton  inform- 
ed him  of  its  behig  poisoned ;  and  that 
both  animate  and  inanimate  nature  Mere 
equ^Jiy  subject  to  the  apostle  of  God.  His 
dream  of  a  nocturnal  j  curney  i  s  seriously 
described  as  a  real  and  corporeal  transac- 
tion. A  mysterious  animal,  the  BoiT.k, 
couA  eyed  him  from  the  temple  of  Mecca 
to  that  of  Jerusalem  :  with  his  companion 
Gabriel,  he  successively  ascended  the  se\;- 
en  heavens, and  received  and  repaid  the  sal- 
utations of  the  patriarchs, the  prophets,  and 
the  angels, in  their  respective  mansions.  Be- 
yond the  seventh  heaven,  Mahomet  alone 
was  permitted  to  proceed  ;   he  passed  tl;e 


24  THE   LIFE  or  MAHOMET. 

veil  of  unity,  apprcachcd  ^vithin  Uvo  bcw- 
shots  of  the  throne,  and  felt   a  cold  that 
pierced hiin  to  the  heart, when  his  shoulder 
Vv  as  touched  by  the  hand  of  God.      After 
this  fainlllur  llio  important  com  ersation,he 
again  descended  to  Jci  usalcni,  remounted 
the  Borak,  returned  to  Mecca,   r.nd  per- 
formed in  the   tenth  part  of  a  night   the 
journey   of  many  thousand  years.      Ac- 
cording to  another  legend,  the  apostle  con- 
founded in  a  national  assembly  ih.e  m.ali- 
cious  challenge  of  the  Koreihh.       His  re- 
sistless ^vord  split  asunder  th.e  orb  of  the 
moon  :  the  obedient  planet  stooped  frcm 
her  station  in  the  sl:y,   acccm.plishcd    the 
se^en  revolutions  round  the  Caaba,  saluted 
Mahomet  in  the  Arabian  tongue,  imd  sud- 
denly ccntractinf^:  lier  din^ensioris,  entered 
at  the  collar,  and  issued  forth  through  the 
sleeve,  of  liis  shirt.     The  vulgar  are  a- 
mused  with  these  marvellous  tales  ;  but 
the  gravest  of  the  Mussulman  doctors  hn- 
itate  the  modesty  of  their  master,  and  in- 
dulge a  latitude  of  faith  or   iritei-pretation. 
They   might  speciously  alledge,  that   in 
preaching  the  religion,    it  was  needless  to 
violate   tlie    haimcn}-,   of  nature  ;  that  a 
creed  unclouded  \iith  mystery  niay  be  ex- 


TJI£   LIFE  or   MAHOMET.  25 

ciised  from  miracles  ;  and  that  the  sword 
of  M^ihomet  \\^as  not  less  potcnt  thi^n  the 
rod  of  Moses. 

The  polytheist  is  oppressed  and  distract- 
ed by  the  variety  of  superstition  :  a  thous- 
and rites  of  E2:^^ptian  ori^>'iii  were  iritcr- 
woven  with  the  essence  of  the  Mosaic 
Law  ;  and  th.e  spirit  of  the  gcsjX'l  had  eva- 
porated in  the  pagantry  of  the  church.  I'hc 
prophet  of  Mecca  ^vas  tempted  1  y  preju- 
dice, or  policy,  or  patriotism,  to  sanctify 
the  rites  of  the  Arabians,  aud  the  custom 
of  visitingthe  holy  stone  of  the  Caaba.  But 
the  precepts  ofMahomet  himself  inculc:;te 
a  more  simple  and  rational  piet}- :  prayer, 
fasting,  and  alms,  are  the  religious  duties 
of  a  Mussulman;  and  he  isencoaragcd  to 
hope,  that  prayer  v ill  caiTy  him  half  Vviiy 
to  God,  fasting  will  bring  him  to  the  door 
of  his  palace,  and  alms  will  gain  him  admit- 
tance. I.  According  to  the  traditioFi  of  the 
nocturnal  journey,  the  apor.tle,  in  his  i^er- 
sonal  conferrertee  with  the  Deity,  WoS  c;  .17.- 
manded  to  impose  on  his  disciples  the  (Ili- 
ly  obligation  of  fifty  prayers.  By  the  ad- 
vice of  Moses,  he  applied  for  aii  irlleviaHo.i 
of  this  intolerable  burthen;  the  nu.77ibcr 
was  graduaJlv  reduced  to  iive ;'  \;iihont 
C 


26  THE  LITE   OF  MAHOMET. 

any  dispensation  of  business  or  pleasure, 
or  lime,  or  place:  the  devotion  oi  the  faith- 
fill  is  repeated  at  day  break,    at  noon,   in 
the  afternoon,  in  the  evening',   and  at  the 
iirst  Vv'atch  of  the  night ;  and,  in  the  pre- 
Jient  decay  of  religious  fervour,  cur  travel- 
lers are  edified  by  ti:e  profound  humility 
and  attention  of  theTuiks  and  Peisiiius. 
Cleanliness  is  tlie  hey  of  prayer :    tlie  fre- 
quent luUration  of  the  hards,  the  face,  and 
die  body,  which  v.  as  practised  of  old  by 
the  Arabs,   is  solemnly  enjoined  I}'  the 
Koran;  and  a  pei mission  is  ionr.aijy  tiiuit- 
cd  to  su|:ply  w  ilh  sand  the  scarcity  cf  \va- 
ter.   The  words  and  attitudes  cf  supplica- 
tion, as  it  is  performed  ehher  sittir.g,   or 
standirg',  or  picstrate  tn  the  gicuncl,  are 
prescr'ihed  by  custcm  cr  i.uthc  riiy,  but  the 
prayer  is  pouitd  fcith  in  short  and'*'fervuit 
(jaculaticns ;    the  mecsure  of  zeal  is 'net 
.^■xhausicd  by  a  tcchous    liturgy  ;  and  Ci.cli 
Mussulman,  for  his  cmu  person,  is  invtss 
ed  ^vith  the   character  cf  a  priest.  Among 
the  theists,  v. ho  i eject  tlie  use  of  images, 
it  has  been  found  necessary  to  rcstiam  the 
v^anderings  of  the  fancy,  by  directing   the 
eye  and  the  thouc,ht  towLids  a  ht/ci,  or 
^isibiepohitof  die  horizon.   The    prophet 


THE   LIFE   OF   MAHOMET.  27 

was  at  first  inclined  to  gratify  the  Jews  by 
the  choice  of  Jerusalem  ;  but  he  soon  re- 
turned to  a  more  natural  partiality  ;  and 
five  times  every  day  the  eyes  of  the 
nations  at  A^.tracan,  at  Fez,  at  Delhi,  are 
devoutly  turned  to  the  holy  temple  of  Mec- 
ca. Yet  every  spot  for  the  service  of  God 
is  equally  pure  :  the  Mahometans  indiffer- 
ently pray  in  their  chamber  or  in  the  street. 
As  a  distinction  from  the  Je\v$  and  Christ- 
jiuis,  the  Friday  in  eaeh  Vy^eck  h  set  apart 
for  the  u:>efiil  institutioi  of  public  worship: 
the  people  is  assembled  in  the  mosch  and 
the  imam:  some  respectable  elder  ascends 
the  pulpit,  to  b':>gi:i  the  praya^  and  pro- 
nouiiCJethesernon.ButtheMiihoVnetanreli, 
gion  i^  destitute  of  priesthof)u  or  sacrince  ; 
ixnX  the  iadependent  spirit  of  fanaticiiiin 
look^  down  with  cnnlemj^t  on  the  minis- 
ters and  the  slaves  of  s ^! persii i ion .  i I .  The 
vo'untary  penance  of  the  ascedcs,  the  tor- 
Rieut  and  glory  of  their  lives,  was  odious 
to  a  propiiet  V\'ho  censured  i-i  his  compan- 
i:>nis  a  rash  vo\¥.pf  abstaining fi-om  flesh, and 
^vome^,  and  sle;^p ;  and  firmly  declared, 
tbit  he  w^uid  sufer  no  minks  in  his  reli. 
g^iOii.  Yet  he  instituted,  in  each  vear,  a 
last  of  thirty  days;  and  strenuously  recom^ 
mended  the  cbserv.;^iee,  as  a   discipline 


28  THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

which  purifies  the  soul  and  subdues  the 
body,  as  a  salutary  exercise  of  obedience 
to  the  will  of  God  andhlsxipostlc..  Burinj^ 
the  month  of  Ramadan,  from  the  rising  to 
the  setting  oFthc  sua,  the  Mussulman  absta- 
ins from.eating,  and  drinking,  and  women, 
eUid  l):ith'>,  and  jrerfunies  ;  frona  all  nour- 
ishment that  can  restore  his  strength,  from 
all  pleasure  that  can  gratify  his  senses.. 
In  the  revolution  of  die  lunar  year,  tlie 
Ramadan  coincides  by  turns  with  the  win- 
ter cold  and  the  sumrr^er  heat  ;  and  the 
patient  martyr,,  without  assuaging  liis 
thirst  with  a  drop  of  water,  must  ex^ 
pect  the  close  of  a  tedious  and  sultry  day, 
The  interdiction  of  wine,  peculiar  to  some 
orders  of  priest  or  hermits,  is  converted 
bv  iViahomet  alone  into  a  positi'v^e  and 
s;eneral  law  /  and  a  considerable  portion 
uFthe  globe  has  abjured, .at  his  command, 
llie  use  of  that  salutary,  though  dangerous, 
liquor.  These  painful  restraints  are, 
doubdess,  infringed  by  the  libertine  and 
eluded  by  the  hypocrite  ;  but  the  legisla- 
tor, by  whom  they  ai'e  enacted,  cannot 
surely  be  accused  of  alluring  his  proselytes 
by  the  indulgence  of  their  sensual  appetites. 
lI[..Tiiecharitv  oftheMahomctmis  descends . 


THE  LiPi  or  UAnOllET,  £9 

to  the  animal  creation ;  and  the  Koran  re- 
peatedly inculcates, not  as  a  merit.biit  as  a 
strict  &.  indispensable  dutjj  the  rellci^  of  the 
indigent  and  unfortunate.  Mcihoinet,  per- 
haps, is  the  only  lav/giver  who  has  defined 
the  precise  measure  of  criCirity  :  the  stand- 
ard m  ly  vary  with  the  degree  and  nature 
of  property,  as  it  consists  either  in  money, 
in  corn  or  cattle,  in  fruits  or  merchandise; 
but  the  Mussulman  does  not  accomplish 
the  law,  unless  he  bestows  a  U?u/t 
of  his  revenue  /  and  if  his  conscience  ac- 
cuses  him  of  h'aud  or  extoitio.^,  the  tenth, 
under  tJie  idea  of  restitution,  is  enlarged 
to  'd  fifth.  Benevolence  is  the  foundation 
of  justice,  since  we  are  forbid  to  injure 
those  whom  v/e  are  bound  to  assist,  A 
prophet  may  reveal  the  secrets  of  heaven 
and  of  futurity  ;  but  in  his  moral  precepts 
he  can  only  repeat  the  lessons  of  our  ov/n 
hearts. 

The  two  articles  of  belief,  and  the  four 
practical  duties  of  Islam,  are  guarded  by 
rewards  and  punishments  and  the  fxiih  of 
the  Mussulman  is  devoutly  fixed  on  the  e- 
vent  of  the  judgment  and  the  last  d^. 
The  prophet  has  not  presumed  to  deter- 
mine'the  moment  ofthat  av/fiil  catastrophe, 
c 


■30  THE   LIP E  OF  MAHOMET.. 

though  he  darkly  announces  tlie  signs, 
both  in  heaven  and  earth,  whidi  will  pre- 
cede the  universal  dissolution,,  when  life 
shall  be  destroyed,and  the  order  of  creatioai 
shalVbe  confounded  in  the  primitive  chaos. 
At  the  blast  of  the  trumpet,  new  worlds 
IV ill  stait  into  being :  iingels,  genii, and  men. 
will  arise  from  the.  dead,  and  the  human 
soul  will  agi^iih  be  united  to  the  body.  The 
doctrine  of  the  resurection  was  first  enter- 
tai!ied  by  the  Egyptians  ;  and  their  mum- 
mies were  embalmed,  their  pyramids  were 
Gonstrncted,  to  presence  the  ancient  man-- 
sion  of  the  soul,  during  a  period  of  three 
thousand  yeai's.  But  the  attempt  is  pailial 
and  unavailing  ;  and  it  is  with  a  more  phi- 
losophic spirit  that  Maljomet  relies  on  the 
ommipotence  of  the  Creator,  whose  word- 
can  reanimate  the  breathless  clay,  and  col- 
lect the  innumei'able  atoms,  that  no  lonccer 
retain  their  form  or  substimce.  The  in- 
termediate st:ite  of  the  soul  it  is  hard  to 
flecide  ;  and  those  who  mostiirmly  belie  \e 
her  immateritii  nature,  are  at  a  loss  to  un- 
der c  tan  d  hov/  she  can  think  or  act  wlUiout 
t}ie.  ageuGy  of  the  organs  of  sense. 

The  Ke-imio]-;  of  the  soul  and'  body  will 
be  follov-t^d  by  >he-f.r:al  uidp-mcnt  ofnian-- 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  311 

kind  ;  and,  in  his  copy  of  the  Magian  pic- 
ture, the  prophet  his   to'3  faithfully  repre- 
seated  the  fomis  of  proceeding,  and  even 
the  slow  and  successive  operations  of  an 
earthly  tribunal.     By  his  intolerant  adver- 
saries he  is  upbraided  for  extending,  even 
to  themselves,  the  hope  of  sab,'iition,   for 
asserting  the  blackest   heresy,   that  every 
man  who  believes  in  God,  and  accomplishes 
good  works,  may  expect   in  the  last  day 
a  favourable  sentence.     Such  rationalin- 
difference  is  ill  adapted  to  tlie  character  of 
a  fanatic  ;  nor  is  it  probable  that  a  messen- 
ger from  he^aven  should  depreciate  the  val- 
ue and  neceS^sity  of  his~awn  revelation.  In|| 
the  Idiom  of  theJKoran,  the  belief  of  God  is^ 
inseparable  from    that  of  Mahomet :  the 
good  works  are  those   which  he  has  en- 
joined; and  the  two  qualiiications  imply 
the  profession  of  Islam,  to  which  all  nations 
and  all  sects   are  equally  invited. .    Their 
spiritual  blindness,  though  excused  by  ig- 
norance and  crowned  v/ith  virtue,  will  be 
scourged  with  everlasting  torments  ;    and 
the  tears  v/hich  Mahomet  shed  over  the 
tomb  of  his  mother,  for  whom  he  was  for- 
bidden  to  pray,  display  a  striking  contrast 
of  humanity  and  enthusiasm.  The  doom  of 
the  infidels  is  common  :    the  measure  of 


32  Tni.  t'llli.   OF  MAHOMET. 

their  guilt-  arxl  pimishtnent  is  clcteiTi-iined 
by  the  degree  of  evidence  which  they  have 
rejected,  by  the  n«agnitude  of  the  errors 
which  they  have  entertained  :  the  eternal 
mansions  of  the  Christians,  the  Jews,  the 
Sabians,  the  Magians,  and  the  idolaters, 
are  sunk  belov/  each  other  in  the  abyss  ; 
and  the  lowest  hell  is  reserved  for  the  faith- 
less hypocrites  who  have  assumed  tlie 
mask  of  religion.  After  the  greater  part 
of  mankind  has  l3een  condemned  for  their 
opinions,  the  true  believers  only  ^vill  be 
judged  by  their  actions.  The  good  and 
evil  of  each  Mussulman  will  be  accurately 
weighed  in  a  real  or  allegorical  balance, 
and  a  singular  mode  of  compensation  will 
be  allowed  for  the  payment  of  injuries  : 
the  aggressor  will  refund  an  equivalent  of 
his  own  good  acticns,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
person  whom  lie  has  v^Tonged  ;  and  if  he 
should  be  destitute  of  any  moral  property,^ 
the  v/eigiit  of  his  sins  v/ill  be  loaded  with  an 
adequate  share  of  the  demerits  of  the  sTilier- 
er.  According  as  the  shares  of  guilt  or 
viitue  shall  preponderate,  the  scnterice 
will  be  pronounced,  and  all,  v/itliout  dis- 
tinction, v/ili  pass  over  tliC  sharp  and  per- 
ilous bridge  of  thp  abyss;   ^:ut  ths^  inno- 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAKOMET.  ^^^ 

cent,  treading  in  the  footsteps  Oi^Mahom- 
et,\vill  gloriously  enter  the  gates  of  paradise, 
while  the  guilty  will  fall  into  the  first  and  mil- 
dest of  the  seven  hells.  The  term  of  expi- 
ation will  vary  from  nine  hundred  to  seven 
thousand  years  ;  but  the  prophet  has  judi- 
ciously promised,  that  all  his  disciples, 
whatever  may  be  their  sins,  sliall  be  saved, 
by  their  own  faith  and  liis  intercession, from 
eternal  damnation.  It  n  not  surprising  that 
snpcrstitio  1  should  act  niD.'jt  powerlully  on 
th^  fears  of  her  votaries,  since  tlie  human 
£;ncycan  paintwith  more  energy  the  misery 
thin  the  blis"3  of  a  future  life.  Wkli  the 
two  simple  elements  of  darkness  and 
iivc,  we  create  a  sensation  of  pain,  which 
may  be  aggravated  to  an  ioiinite  degree  by 
th'-  idea  of  endless  duration.  But  the 
same  idea  operates  v/ith  an>  opposite  efect 
on  the  continuity  of  pleasure  ;  and  too 
mueh  of  our  present  enjoyments  is  o'J-• 
t  nned  from  the  reUef  or  the  comparison 
of  evil.  It  is  natural  enough  that  an  A- 
rabian  prophet  should  dwell  with  rapture 
on  the  groves,  the  fountains,  and  the  riv- 
ers, of  paradise  ;  but  instead  of  inspiring 
the  ble:iSed  inhabitatits  with  a  liberal  taste 
IQ"  harmony  c;ud  science,  conversation  and! 


,>4'  THE   LIFE   OF   MAHOMST. 

friendship,  he  idly  celebrates  the  pearls 
and  diamonds  J  ti^ie  robes  of  silk,  pal- 
aces of  marble,  dishes  of  gold,  rich  wines,, 
artificial  dainties,  numerous  attendarits, 
and  the  whole  train  of  sensusal  and  costly 
luxury,  v/hich becomes  insipid  to  the  o\\ii- 
er  ,  e*\'enin  the  short  period  of  this  mortal 
life.  Seventy-iwo  liourh,  or  black-eyed 
ghis,  of  rejjplendent  beauty,  blooming 
youth, virgin  purity ,imd exquisite  sensibjli- 
t}',wiil  be  created  for  the  use  of  the  meanest 
helieverja  moment  of  pleasure  will  be  pro- 
longed to  a  thousand  yeani,  and  his  facul- 
ties \vill  be  cncreiised  an  hundred  ibid,  to 
render. him  wonhy  of  his  Riicity.  Not- 
withstanding; a  vulgar  prejudice,  the  gates 
of  heaven,  v/ill  be  open  to  both  sexes  ; 
but  Mahomet  has  not  specified  the  male 
com])anioo3  of  the  female  eleet:,lef>the  should 
either  alarm  the  je:ilousy  of  tl^ieir  ibrmer 
husbands,  or  disturb  their  felicity,  by  the 
suspicion  of  an  everlasting  marraiage.Thi?^ 
image  of  a  carnal  j'jaradise  has  provoked 
the  indignation,  perhaps  the  envy,  of  the 
monks  :  they  declaim  ag^ainst  the  impure 
rclio'ion  of  Mahomet ;  and  liis  modest  a- 
pol'^gists  are  driven  to  the  poor  excuse  ol 
iigares  and  allegories.     B-ut  the  sounder 


THE   LIFE  or  MAHOMET.  35 

iind  more  consistent  party  adhere,  without 
shame,  to  tlie  literal  interpretation  oi'  the 
Konm  :  uselesia  would  be  the  resurrection, 
of  the  body,  unless  it  were  restored  to  the 
possession  and  exercise  of  its  worthiest  fa- 
cuUies  ;  and  the  union  of  sensual  and  in- 
tellectual enjoyment  is  requisite  to  com- 
plete the  happiness  of  the  double  animal, 
the  perfect  man.  Yet  the  joys  of  the  Ma- 
hometan pi^-adise  will  not  be  confined  to 
the  indulgence  of  luxury  and  appetite  ; 
and  the  prophet  has  expressly  declared, 
that  all  meaner  happiness  %vill  be  forgotten 
iind  despised  by  the  sairas  and  martyrs, 
•who  shall  be  adm.itted  to  the  beatitude  of 
the  the  divhie  ^'ision; 

The  first  and  m(;st  arduous  conquests 
of  Mahomet  were  those  of  his  wife,  his 
j^xn'vant,  his  pupil,  and  his  frieixl ;  sirice 
lie  prcGcrtcd  himself  as  a  prophet  to  those 
who  were  rncst  conversant  with  his  infirm- 
ities as  a  man.  Yet  Cadijah  believed  the 
words,  and  cherished  tl:e  glory,  of  her 
husl3and  ;,the  obsequipus  and  affectionate 
Zeid  V.  ;is  tempted  by  (he  prospect  of  free- 
dom ;  the  illustrious  Ali,  the  son  of  Abu 
Taleb,  embraced  the  sentiments  of  his 
cousin  wi  Ji  the  spirit  of  a  youthful  hero ; 


56  THE  LIFE   OF    MAKOMET. 

and  the  wealth,  the  moderation,  tlie  vera- 
city of  Abu  beker,  coriiirmed  the  religion 
of  the  prophet  v.  hem  he  was  destined  to 
j^uceeed.  By  his  persuasion,  ten  of  the 
most  respeetable  eitizer.s  of  Mecca  were 
introduced  to  the  pri-sate  lessons  of  Islam  ; 
they  yielded  to  the  voice  of  reason  and  en- 
thusiasm ;  they  repeated  the  fundanicntal 
creed  ;  ''  there  is  but  one  Go^'l,  and  Ma- 
"  hornet  is  the  apostle  of  God  ;"  and  their 
fahh,  e^en  in  this  life  \^as  revvarded  \\ ith 
riches  and  honours^  w  ith  the  coinmand  of 
armies  and  the  i;OA  errmient  of  kingdoms. 
Three  years  Vv  ere  silently  employed  ni  the 
conversion  of  fourteen  proselytes,  the 
first  fruite  of  his  mission;  but  in  the  fourth 
year  he  assumed  the  prophetic  office,  and 
resolving  to  impart  to  his  family  the  light 
of  di^•ine  truth,  he  prepared  a  banquet, 
a  lamb,  as  it  is  said,  and  a  bowl  of  milk, 
for  the  entertainment  of  forty  guests  of  the 
lace  ofHashem.  "  Friends  ana  kinsmen." 
said  Mahomet  to  the  assembly,  ''  I  offer 
'^  you,  and  I  alone  can  offer,  the  most  pre- 
'*  cious  of  gifts,  the  treasures  of  this  world 
*^  and  of  the  world  to  come.  Gcd  has 
**  commarided  me  to  call  you  to  his  ser- 
^*  vice.       Who   among  you  will  suppoit 


THE  ilJE  OP  MAHOMET.  o7 

*'  my  burthen  ?  Who  among  you  will  be 
**  my  companion   and  my   vizir  ?"     No 
answer  was  returned,  till  the  silence  of  as- 
tonishment, anddoubt.andcontemptjWas  at 
length  broken  by  the  impatient  courage  of 
Ali,  a  youth  in  the  fourteenth  year   of  his 
age.      *'  O  prophet,  I  am  the  man  :  who- 
* '  soever  rises  against  thee,  1  will  dash  out 
"  his  teeth,    teai'  out  his  eyes,   break  his 
*  *  legs,  rip  up  his   belly.      O  prophet,  I 
"  will  be  thy  vizir  over  them."     Mahom- 
et accepted  his   offer  with  transport,  and 
Abu  Taleb  was  ironically  exhorted  to  re- 
spect the  superior  dignity  of  his  son.     In 
a  more  serious  tone,  the  father  of  Ali  ad- 
vised his  nephew  to  relinquish  his  imprac- 
i  ticable   design.       *  *  Spare  your  remon- 
I  strances,"  replied  the  intrepid  fanatic    to 
[hisuHcle    and    benefactor;       *' if  they 
should  place  the    sun    on    my    right- 
hand   and  the    moon  on   my  left,   they 
*'  should  not  divert  me  from  my  course.*' 
He  persevered  ten  years  in  the  exercise  of 
his  mission ;  and  the  religion   w  hich  lias 
overspread  the  East  and  the  West,  advan- 
ced    with    a  slow  and  painful  progress 
within  the  w^alls  of  Mecca.     Yet  Mahom- 
pt  enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  beholding  the- 


3S  THE   LIFE  or  MAHOMET. 

encrease  of  his  infante  on  fa'ceation  of  Uiv 
itarians,  who  revered  him  as  a  prophet, 
mid  to  Vv'hcm  he  seasonably  dispensed  tlie 
spiritual  rxiirishment  of  the  Koran.  The 
number  ci  proselytes  may  beestecm.ed  by 
the  absence  of  eighty -three  men  and  eigh- 
teen women,  who  retired,  to  .Ethiopia  in 
the  seventh  year  of  his  mission  :  and  his 
party  was  fortified  by  the  tim^ely  conversion 
of  his  uncle  Hamza,  8^:  of  the  hcrce  and  in- 
liexible  Omar,  who  signalised  in  the  cause 
of  Islam  the  sam.e  zeal  vrhich  he  had  ex- 
erted for  its  destruction.  Nor  was  the 
chanty  of  IS  lahomet  confined  to  the  tribe 
of  Koreishor  the  precincts  of  Mecca  :  on 
solemn  festivals,  in  the  days  of  pilgrimage, 
he  frequented  the  Caaba,  accosted  the 
ustran^^ers  of  every  ti'ibe,  ard  urged,  both 
in  piivate  converse  and  public  discourse, 
the  belitf  iind  v/orship  of  a  sole  Deity. 
Conscious  of  his  reason  and  of  his  v/eak- 
Bess,  he  asserted  the  liberty  of  conscience,' 
and  disclaimed  the  -use  of  religious  vio- 
lence :  but  he  called  the  Arabs  to  repent- 
since,  and  conjured  thern  to  remember  the 
ancient  idolaters  of  Ad  and Thamud,  whom 
the  divine  justice  had  swept  away  from  the 
face  of  the  eaitli. 


r  K  E  L  IF  EOF  MA  HO  M-E  T>  3  9' 

.  The  people  of  Mecca  was  hcu'dened  in 
their  unbelief  by  superstition  and  envy. 
The  elders  of  the  oily,  the  uncles  of  the 
prophet,  affected  to  despise  the  presump- 
tion of  an  orphan,  the  reformer  of  his  coun- 
try :  the  pious  or.itions  of  ?»I;^homet  in  the 
Caaba  v/ere  ansvv^ered  by  the  clamours  of 
Aba  Taleb.  *'  Citizens  and- pilgrims,  list- 
''  en  not  to  the  tempter,  hearken  not  to  his 
'  *  impious  novelties.  Stand  ilist  in  the  wor- 
^ '  ship  of  Al  Lata  and  Al  Uzzah." 
Yet  the  son  of  Abdallah  was  ever 
dzic  to  the  aged  chief ;  and  he  protect- 
ed the  fame  and  person  of  his  neph- 
ew against  the  assaults  of  the  Koreish- 
ites,  who  had  long  been  jealous  of  the  pre- 
eminence of  the  family  of  Hashem.  Their 
malice  was  coloured  with  the  pretence  of 
TciiL^'ion  :  m  the  age  of  Job,  the  crime  of 
J,mpiety  was  punished  by  the  Arabian  mag- 
ue ;  and  Mahomet  was  guilty  of  desert- 
and  denyin:^  the  national  deities.  But 


istra^ 


1  iir- 


so  loose  was  th.e  policy  of  Mecca,  that  the 
k-aders  of  the  Koreiih,  instead  of  accusing 
a  criminal,  were  compelled  to  employ  the 
measures  of  persuasion  or  violence.  They 
repeatedly  addressed  Abu  Taieb  in  the 
style  of  reproach  and  men  ace.   '^  Thy  ne- 


40  THE   LIFE   or   IvIAHOMET. 

'^  phew  reviles  our  religion ;  he  accuses 
''  our  wise  forefathers  of"  ignorance  and  fol- 
*My;  silence  him  quickly,  lest  he  kindle 
• '  tumult  and  discord  in  the  city.  If  he  per- 
**  severe,  we  shall  draw  our  swords  against 
"  hirn  and  his  adherents,  and  thou  wilt  be 
'*'  responsible  for  the  blood  of  thy  fellow - 
'•  citizens."  The  weight  and  moderation 
of  Aba  Taleb  eluded  the  violence  of  re- 
ligious faction ;  the  most  helpless  or  timid 
of  the  discipks  retired  to  ^Ethiopia,  and 
the  prophet  withdrew  himf:idf  to  various 
]^/iace*;  of  strength  ia  the  tovm  and.countiy. 
As  he  was  still  supported  by  his  iamily, 
the  rest  of  the  tribe  of  Koreish  engaged 
themselves  to  renounce  all  intercourse  with 
ihe  children  of  Hashem,  neither  to  buy 
nor  sell,  neither  to  marry  nor  to  give  in 
marriage,  but  to  pursue  them  with  impla- 
cable enmity,  till  they  should  deliver  the 
person  cf  Mahomet  to  the  justice  of  tlie 
gods.  The  decree  Vv-as  suspended  in  the 
Caaba  before  the  eyes  of  the  nation  ;  the 
messengers  cf  the  Koreish  pursued  the 
Mussulman  exiles  in  the  heart  of  Africa  : 
they  besieged  the  prophet  and  his  most 
faithful  followers,  intercepted  their  water, 
^id  inflamed  their  mutual  animosity  by  tl  le 


THE  LIFE   OF   MAHOMKT.  4-1- 

retaliation  of  inj iirie  s  and  insults .  A  doii  b t- 
ful  truce  restored  the  appearances  of  con- 
cord ;  till  the  death  of  Abu  Taleb  abiindon- 
ed  Mahomet  to  the  power  of  his  enemies, 
at  the  moment  when  he  was  deprived  of 
his  domestic  comforts  by  the  loss  of  his 
faithful  and  generous  Cadijah.  Abu  Soph- 
ran,  the  chief  of  the  branch  of  Ommiyah, 
succeeded  to  the  principality  of  the  repub- 
lic of  Mecca.  A  zealous  votary  of  the 
idols,  a  mortal  foe  of  the  line  of  Hashem, 
he  convened  an  assembl}'  of  the  Koreish- 
ites  and  their  allies,  to  decide  the  fate  of 
the  apostle..  His  imprisonment  might  pro- 
voke the  despair  of  his  entliusiasm ;  and 
the  exile  of  an  eloquent  and  popular  fanatic 
would  diiTuse  the  mischief  through    the 

'  o 

provinces  of  Arabia.  liis  death  Vv^as  resolv- 
ed ;  aujcl  they  agreed  that  a  sword  from 
each  tribe  should  be  buried  in  his  heart, 
to  di\dde  the  guilt  of  his  blood  and  baffle 
the  veng-eance  of  theH-ishemites.  An  angel 
or  a  spy  revealed  thejr  conspira.cy  ;  and 
flight  was  the  only  resource  of  Mahomet. 
At  the  dead  of  niglit,  accompanied  by  hi:^> 
friend  Abubeker,  he  silently  escaped  from 
his  house ;  the  ass issins  vv^.lLc}ied  at  the 
door ;    but   they   ^vcre  deceived   by  thi 


42  THE   LirS  Of  MAHOMETx 

figure  of  All,  who  re}X)sed  on  the  bed,  and 
was  covered  with  the  green  i^estment  of 
the  apostle.  The  Koreish  respected  the 
piety  of  the  heroic  youth  ;  but  seme  verses 
of  Ali,  which  ai'e  still  extant,  exhibit  an  in- 
teresting picture  of  his  anxiety,  his  tender- 
ness, and  his  religious  confidence.  Three 
da3^s  Mahomet  and  his  companion  \^  ere 
concealed  in  the  cave  of  Thor,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  league  from  Mecca  ;  and  in  the 
close  of  each  evening,  they  received  from 
the  son  and  daughter  of  Abubeker,  a  se- 
cret supply  of  intelligence  and  food.  The 
diligence  of  the  Koreish  explored  every 
haunt  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city, 
'K'acy  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  cavern  ; 
r)Ut  the  providential  deceit  of  a  spider's 
web  and  a  pi9;eon's  nest,  is  supposed  to 
convince  them  that  the  place  was  solitary 
and  inviolate.  *^  We  are  only  tv/o,"  said 
the  trembling  Abubeker.  *'  lliere  is  a 
third,"  replied  the  prophet ;  "  it  is  God 
*^  himself."  No  sooner  was  the  pursuit  a- 
■  bated,  than  the  two  fugitives  issued  from 
the  rock,  and  mounted  their  camels  :  on 
the  road  to  Medina,  they  were  o\'ertaken 
b}^  the  emissaries  of  the  Koreish ;  they  re- 
deemed tiiemselves  with  prayers  and  prom- 


THE  LIFE   OF    MAHOMET.  43 

ises  from  their  hands.  In  this  eventful 
moment,  the  lance  of  an  Arab  might  have 
changed  the  history  of  the  world.  The 
flight  of  the  prophet  from  Mecca  to  Medi- 
na has  fixed  the  memorable  a^ra  of  the 
Hegira,  which,  at  the  end  of  twelve  cen- 
turies, still  discriminates  the  lunar  years  of 
the  Mahometan  natio.is. 

The  religion  of  the  Koran  might  have 
perished  in  its  cradle  had  not  ivledina  em- 
braced with  faith  and  rev^erence  the   holy 
outcasts  of  Mecca-  Medina,  or  the  cityy 
known  under  the  name  of  Yathreb,  before 
it  was  sanctified  by  the  throne  of  the  proph- 
et, was  divided  between  the  tribes  of  the 
\  Charegites  and  the  Awsltes,  whose  here- 
iditary  feud  was  rekindled  by  the  slightest 
j provocations  :  two  colonies  of  Jews,    who 
boasted  a  sacerdotal  race,  were  their  hum- 
ble allies,  and  without  converting  the  A- 
rabs,  they  introduced  the  taste  of  science 
and  religion,  which  distinguished  Medina 
as  the  city  of  the  book,     h^ome  of  her  no- 
blest citizens,  in  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Caa- 
ba, were  converted  by  the   preaching  of 
Mahomet  ;  on  their  return  they  diffused 
the  belief  of  God  and  his  prophet,  and  thq 
new  alliance  was  ratified  bv  tlieir  deputies 


44  tHE   LIFE   OF  MAHOMET, 

ill  Uvo  secret  and  nocturnal  interviews  on 
a  hill  in  the  suburbs  of  Mecca.  In  the 
first,  ten  Chiu-es;ites  and  two  Awsites  uni- 
ted in  faith  and  love,,  protested  in  the 
name  of  their  Vvives,  their  children,  and 
their  absent  brethren,  that  they  ^vould  for- 
ever profess  the  creed,  and  observe  the 
precepts,  of  tlie  Koran.  The  second  v/as 
a  political  association,  the  iirst  vital  spark 
of  the  empire  of  the  Saracens..  Seventy, 
three  men  and  tw^o  women  of  Medina  held 
a  solemn  ccnference  with  Mahomet,  his 
kinsmen,  and  his  disciples  ;  and  pledged 
tliemselves  to  each  other  by  a  mutual  oath 
of  fidelity.  They  promii^ed  in  the  name 
of  the  city,  that  if  he  should  be  banished,, 
they  v/oiiid  receive  him  as  a  confederate, 
obey  him  as  a  leader,,  and  defend  liim  to 
the  last  extremity,  like  their  wives  and 
children.  "But  if  you.  ar-e  recalled  by 
*'  your  country,'*  they  asked  with  a  flatter- 
ing, anxietv,  '**  will  you  not  abandon  your 
new  allies  P'  "  All  things,''  replied  Ma- 
homet with.a  smile,  '*  are  now  common 
"  between  us :  your  blood  is  as  my  blood, 
*'  your  ruin  as  my  ruin.  We  are  bound 
*'  to  each  other  by  the  tics  of  honour  andi 
*  *  interest.     I  am*  vour  friend,  m\d  the  ensr 


rnt  LIFE  or  mahomet.  45 

' '  of  your  foes. "  "  but  if  we  are  killed  in 
"  your  service,  what,"  exclaimed  the  de- 
puties of  Medina,  "  will  be  our  reward  ?'* 
**  Paradisx,"  replied  the  prophet. 
*'  Stretch  forth  thy  hand."  He  stretched 
it  forth,  and  they  reiterated  the  oath  of  al- 
legiance and  fidelity.  Their  treaty  was 
ratified  by  the  people,  who  unanimously 
embraced  the  profession  of  Islam  ;  they 
rejoiced  in.  the  exiie  of  the  apostle,  but 
they  trembled  for  his  safety,  and  impatient- 
ly expected  his  arrival  After  a  perilous 
a!id  rapid  journey  along  the  se-i-coast,  he 
halted  at  Koba,  two  miles  from  the  city, 
and  made  Im  public  entry  into  Medina, 
sixteen  days  af-er  his  flight  from  Mecca. . 
Five  huiidred  of  the  citizens  advanced  to 
meet  him  ;  he  was  h:dled  ¥/ith  acckma- 
tioiis  of  loyalty  mid  devotion;  Mahoinet 
was  mounted  on  a  she-came-,  an  umbrella 
shaded  his  head,  and  a  tu'^ban  v/as  uafarled 
before  hi ni  to  supply  the  deiiciency  of  a 
standard.  His  bravest  disciples,  who  had 
been  scattered  by  the  storm,  assembled 
round  his  person  :  and  the  equal,  though 
various,  merit  of  the  Moslems  was  distin- 
guished by  the  names  of  Ido/iagerians  and 
AnsarSi  the  fugitives   of  Mecca,    and  the 


46  THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMEr, 

auxiliaries  of  Medina.  To  eradicate  th<^ 
seeds  of  jealous}^  Mahon^et  judiciously 
coupled  his  priacipal  followers,-  with  the 
rights  vuid  obligations  cf  brethren,  and 
when  All  founds  himself  witliout  a  peer^ 
ihz  prophet  tenderly  declared,  that  /^e 
would  be  the  companion  and  brother  of 
the  noble  youth.  The  expedient  was 
crowned  with  success  ;  the  holy  fraternity 
was  respected  in  peace  au'-J.  war,  and  the 
two  parties  vied  with  each  other  in  a  gen- 
erous emulation  of  courage  and  fidelity,- 
Once  only  the  concord  v/as  slightly  ruified 
by  an  accidental  qiiarrel;  a  patriot  oi  Medira 
airaigived  the  insolence  of  the  strangers, 
hut  the  hiut  of  their  expulsion  was  heai'd 
"^vith  abhorrence,  and  his  own  son  iri0?"it 
eagerly  offered  to  la\y  at  the  apostle's  feet 
tJie  head  of  his  iatlier.. 

IVom  hi  Li  establishment  at  Medina,  Ma^ 
hcmet  assumed  the  exercise  oi  the  regal 
and  sacerdotj]  omce  ;  arid  it  was  impious 
to  appeal  frora  a  judge  whose  decrees 
were  inspired  by  the  divine  wisdcm.  A 
small  portion  of  ground,,  the  patrimony  of 
two  orphans,  w^as  acquired  Ijy  gift  or  pur- 
chase ;  on  that  chosen  spot,  he  built  a:i 
liouscand  amosch-  more  venerable  in  their 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  4V 

Tude  simplicity  than  the  palaces  and  tem- 
ples of  the  Assyrian  caliphs.      His  seal  of 
gold,  or  silver,  was  inscribed  with  the  a- 
postolic  title  ;  when  he  prayed  &  preached 
in  the  weekly  assembly,   he  leaned  against 
the  ti'unkof  a  palm-tree;  and  it  was  long  be- 
fore he  indulged  hi  mself  in  the  use  of  a  chair 
or  pulpit  of  rough  timber.     After  a  reign 
of  six  years,  fifteen  hundred  Moslems,  in 
arms  and  in  the  lield,  renewed  their  oath 
of  allegiance  ;  and  their  chief  repeated  the 
.assurance  of  protection  till  the  death  of  the 
last  mem.ber,  or  the  final  dissolution  of  the 
party.     It  was  in  the  same  camp  that  the 
deputy  of  Mecca  was  astonished  by  the  at- 
tention of  the  faithful  to  the  words  h  looks 
of  the  prophetjby  the  eagerness  with  which 
they  collected  his  spittle,  an  hair  thatdropt 
on  the  oTound,  the  refuse  water  of  his  lus- 
trations,  as  if  they  participated  in  some  de- 
gree of  the  prophetic   virtue.     *'  I  have 
"  seen,"  said  he,  *'  theChosrocs  of  Persia 
*^  and  the  C^sar  of  Rome,  but  never  did  I 
^^  behold  a  king  among   his  subjects   like 
*'  Mahomet  among  his  companions."  The 
devout    fervour  of  ^enthusiasm  acts  with 
more  energy  and  truth    than  the  cold  and 
ibrmal  servility  of  courts. 


^Q  i  tit.    L,li:  L.  vi:    ivi  A  «  u  ivi  i:.  i  . 

In  the  state  of  nature  every  man  has  a 
right  to  defend,  by  force  of  arms,  his  per- 
son and  his  possessions  ;  to  repel,  or  even 
to  prevent,  the  violence  of  his  enemies, 
and  to  extend  his  hostilities  to  a  reasonable 
measure  of  satisfaction  and  retaliation.  In 
the  free  society  of  the  Arabs,  the  duties 
of  subject  and  citizen  imposed  a  feeble  re- 
straint; andMaliomet  in  the  exercise  of  a 
peaceful  and  benevolent  mission,  had  been 
despoiled  and  banished  by  the  injustice  of 
his  countrymen.  The  choice  of  an  inde- 
pendent people  had  exalted  the  fugitive  of 
Mecca  to  the  rank  of  a  sovereign  ;  and  he 
%vas  invested  with  the  just  prerogative  of 
formxing  alliances,  and  of  waging  offensive 
or  defensive  war.  The  imperfection  of 
human  rights  was  supplied  and  armed  by 
the  plentitude  of  divine  power  :  the  proph- 
et of  Medina  assumed,  in  his  new  revela- 
tions, a -fiercer  and  more  sanguinary  towe, 
which  proves  that  his  former  moderation 
was  the  effect  of  weakness  :  the  means  of 
persuasion  had  been  tried,  the  season  of 
forbearance  was  elapsed,  and  lie  was  now 
commanded  to  propagate  his  religion  by 
the  sword,  to  destroy  the  monuments  of 
idolatry,  and,  without  regarding  the  sane- 


THE  MFE  OF  MAHOMET.  ^y 

thy  of  days  or  months,  to  pursue  the  im- 
beiieving  nations  of  the  earth.  The  same 
bloody  precepts,  so  repeatedly  inculcated 
in  the  Koran,  are  ascribed  by  the  author 
to  the  Pentateuch  and  the  Gospel.  But  the 
mild  tenor  of  the  evangelic  style  may  ex- 
plain an  ambiguous  text,  that  Jesus  did 
jnot  bring  peace  on  the  earth,  but  a  sword  : 
his  patient  and  humble  virtues  should  not 
be  confounded  with  the  intolerant  zeal  of 
princes  and  bishops,  vvho  have  disgraced 
the  name  of  his  disciples.  In  the  prosecu- 
tion of  religious  war,  Mahomet  might  ap- 
peal with  more  propriety  to  the  example  of 
Moses,  of  the  judges  and  the  kings  of  Is- 
rael. The  military  laws  of  the  Hebrews 
ai*e  still  more  rigid  than  those  of  th  e  A- 
rabian  legislator.  TheLord  of  hosts  march- 
.ed  in  person  before  the  Jews:  if  a  city  re- 
[sisted  their  summons,  the  males,  vvithout 
distinction,  were  put  to  the  sword  :  the 
seven  nations  of  Canaan  were  devoted  to 
destruction  ;  and  neither  repentance  ror 
conversion  could  shield  them  from  the  in- 
e>-itable doom,  that  no  creature  ^vith in  their 
precincts  should  be  left  ali\  e.  The  fair  op- 
tion of  friend;  ihip,  or  submission,  crl)attle,' 
was  proDOsed  to  the  enemies  ef  Mahomet/ 


50  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

If  they  professed  the  creed  of  Islam,  they 
were  admitted  to  all  the  temporal  and  spi- 
ritual benefits  of  his  primitive  disciples, 
and  m.arched  under  the  same  banner  to  ex- 
tend  the  religion  which  they  had  em- 
]:)raced.  The  clemency  of  the  prophet  was 
decided  by  his  interest,  yet  he  seldom 
trampled  on  a  prostrate  enemy  ;  and  he 
seems  to  promise,  that,  on  the  payment  of. 
a  tribute,  the  least  guilty  of  his  unbelie^-- 
ing  subjects  might  be  indulged  in  their 
worship,  or  at  least  in  their  imperfect  faith. 
In  the  first  months  of  his  reign,  he  prac- 
tised the  lessons  of  holy  warilu'e,  and  dis- 
played his  white  banner  before  the  gates 
of  Medina  :  the  martial  apostle  fought  in 
person  at  nine  batdes  or  sieges  ;  and  fifty 
enterprises  of  war  were  atchieved  in  ten 
years  by  himself  or  his  lieutenants.  The 
Arab  continued  to  unite  the  professions  of 
a  merchant  and  a  robber ;  ancl  his  petty  ex- 
cursions  for  the  defence  or  the  attack  of  a 
cai'avan  insensibly  prepared  his  troops  for 
the  conquest  of  Arabia.  Tiie  distribution 
of  the  spoil  \^'as  regulated  by  a  divine  law  : 
the  whole  was  fliithfully  collected  in  orie 
common  mass  :  a  fifth  of  tlx  gold  and  ^.11- 
ver,  the  prisoners  and  cattle,  tiie   movea- 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  51 

bles  and  immoveables,  was  reserved  by 
the  prophet  for  pious  and  charitable  uses ; 
the  remainder  was  shared  in  adequate  por- 
tions by  the  soldiers  who  had  obtained  the 
victory  or  guarded  the  camp  :  the  rewards 
of  the  slain  devolved  to  their  widows  and 
orplifins  ;  and  the  increase  of  cavalry  was 
encouraged  by  the  allotment  of  a  double 
slvM-c  to  the  horse  and  to  the  man.  From 
all  sides  the  roving  Arabs  were  allured  to 
the  standard  of  religion  and  plunder  :  the 
apostle  sanctified  the  license  of  embracing 
the  female  captives  as  their  wives  or  con- 
cubines ;  and  the  enjoyment  of  wealth  and 
beauty  was  a  feeble  type  of  the  joys  of  pa- 
radise prepared  for  the  valiant  martyrs  of 
the  faith.  '*  The  sv/ord,"  says  Mahomet, 
*'  is  the  key  of  heaven  &  of  hell  :  a  drop  of 
**  blood  shed  in  tiie  cause  of  God,  a  night 
"  spent  in  arms,  is  of  more  avail  than  two 
**  months  of  tasting  or  prayer :  v/hosoever 
*'  falls  in  brittle,  his  sins  are  forgiven  :  at 
*'  the  day  of  judgment  his  wounds  shall  be 
*'  resplendent  as  vermillion  and  odoriferous 
**  as  musk  ;  and  the  loss  of  his  limbs  shaU 
*'  be  supplied  by  the  wings  of  angels  and 
''  cherubim."  The  intrepid  souls  of  the  A- 
rabs  were  fired  Vvith  enthusiasm  ;  the  pic- 


5:2  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

ture  of  the  invisible  world  was  stronp-lv 
painted  on  their  imagination ;  and  the  death 
v'hich  they  had  ahvays  despised  became  an 
object  of  hope  and  desire.  The  Koran  in- 
r-iilcates,  ifl  the  most  absohite  sense,  the 
tenets  of  fate  and  predestination,  which 
would  extinguish  both  industry  and  virtue, 
if  the  actions  of  man  v/ere  governed  by 
his  speculative  belief.  Yet  their  influence 
in  eveiT  a^e  has  exalted  the  co«ras:e  of  the 
Saracens  and  Turks.  The  first  companions 
of  Mahomet  advanced  to  battle  with  a  fear- 
less confidence  ;  there  is  no  danger  w^i^re 
there  is  no  chance  :  they  were  ordained  to 
I-  trish  in  their  beds  ;  or  the}^  were  safe  and 
ir.vulnerable  amidst  the  dtirtsof  the  enemy. 
Perhaps  the  Koreisli  would  have  been 
content  with  the  flight  of  Mahomet,  had 
they  not  been  provoked  and  alarmed  by  the 
vengeance  of  an  enemy,  who  could  inter- 
cept their  Swian  trade  as  it  passed  and  re- 
passed through  the  territory  of  Medina. 
.4bu  Sophian  himself,  with  only  thirty  or 
forty  followers,  conducted  a  wealthy  ca- 
ravan of  a  thousand  camels  :  the  fortune 
or  dexterity  of  his  march  escaped  the  vig- 
ilance of  Mahomet ;  but  the  chief  of  the 
Koreish  was  informed  that  the  holy  rob- 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  53 

bers  were  placed  in  ambush  to  await  his 
return.  He  dispatched  a  messenger  to  hi^ 
brethren  of  Mecca,  and  they  were  roused, ' 
by  the  fear  of  losing  their  merchandise  and 
tiieir  provisions,  unless  they  hastened  to 
his  relief  with  the  military  force  of  the  city. 
Tlie  sacred  band  of  Mahomet  was  formed 
of  three  hundred  and  thirteen  Moslems,  of 
whom  seventy-seven  were  fugitives,    and. 
the  rest  auxiliaries  :  they  mounted  by  turns 
a  train  of  seventy  camels  (  the  camels  of 
Yathreb  were    formidable  in  war  ) ;   but 
such  was  the  poverty  of  his  first  disciples, 
that  only  two  could  appear  on  horseback 
in  the  field.   In  the  fertile  and  famous  vale 
of  Beder,  three  stations  from  Medina,  he 
was  informed  by  his  scouts  of  the  cai^avan 
that  approached  on  one  side  ;  of  the  Ko- 
reish,   one  hundred  horse,  eight  hundred 
and  fifty  foot,  who  advanced  on  the  other. 
After  a  short  debate,  he  sacrificed  the  pros- 
pect of  wealth  to  the  pursuit  of  glory  and 
revenge  ;  and  a  slight  intrenchmcnt  was 
formed  to  cover  his  troops,  and  a  stream 
of  fresh  water  that  glided  through  the  v.il- 
ley.      '*  O  God,"   he   exclaimed  as  the 
numbers  of  the  Koreish  descended  from 
the  hills,  '*  O  God,  if  tfiese  are  destroyed 


54  THE   LIFE   or  MAHOMET. 

**  by  whom  wilt  thou  be  worshipped  on  the 
"  eaith  '?  "  — Courage,  my  children,  clo£C 
"  your  mnks  ;  discharge  your  arrows,  and 
*'  the  day  is  your  own.''  At  these  words 
he  placed  himself,  with  Abubeker,  on  a 
throne  or  pulpit,  and  instantly  demanded 
the  succour  of  Gabriel  and  three  thousand 
angels.  His  eye  was  fixed  on  the  field  of 
battle  :  the  Mussulmans  fainted  and  were 
pressed  :  in  that  decisive  moment  the  pro- 
phet started  from  his  throne,  mounted  his 
horse,  and  cast  a  handful  of  sand  into  the 
air  ;  "  Let  their  faces  be  covered  with 
*'  confusion."  Both  armies  heard  the 
thunder  of  his  voice :  their  fancy  beheld 
the  angelic  wamors;  the  Koreish  trembled 
and  fled:  seventy  of  the  bravest  were  slain; 
and  seventy  captives  adorned  tiie  first  vic- 
tory of  the  faithful.  The  dead  bodies  of 
the  Koreish  were  despoiled  and  insulted  : 
two  of  the  most  obnoxious  prisoners  v^erc 
punished  with  death  ;  and  the  ransom  of 
the  others,  four  thousand  drams  of  silver, 
compensated  in  some  degree  the  escape  of 
the  caravan.  But  it ».-,  as  in  vam  that  the 
(■;amels  of  Abu  Sophian  explored  a  new 
ro-jxl.  through  the  desert  aTjfcl  along  the  Eu- 
phrates :  tliey  were  overtaken  by  the  dili- 


THE   LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  SS 

■gence  of  the  Mussulmans  ;  and  wealthy- 
must  have  been  the  prize,  if  twenty  thou- 
sand drams  could  be  set  apart  for  the  fifth 
of  the  apostle.  The  resentment  of  the  pub* 
lie  and  private  loss  stimulated  Abu  Sophian 
to  collect  a  body  of  three  thousand  men, 
seven  hundred  of  whom  were  armed  with 
cuirasses,  and  two  hundred  were  mounted 
.on  horseback  :  three  thousand  camels  at- 
tended his  march  ;  and  his  wife  Henda, 
with  fifteen  matrons  of  Mecca,  incessantly 
sounded  their  timbrels  to  animate  the 
troops,  and  to  magnify  the  greatness  of 
Hobal,  the  most  popular  deity  of  the  Ca- 
aba. The  standai'd  of  God  and  Mahomet 
was  upheld  by  nine  hundred  &  fifty  believ- 
ers :  the  disproportion 4)f  numbers  was  not 
more  alarming  than  in  the  field  of  Beder; 
and  their  presumption  of  victory  prevailed 
against  the  divine  and  human  sense  of  the 
apostle.  The  second  battle  was  fought 
on  mount  Ohud,  six  miles  to  the  north 
of  Medina  :  the  Koreish  advanced  in  the 
form  of  a  crescent :  and  the  right  wing  of 
cavalry  was  led  by  Caled,  the  fiercest  and 
most  sucQessful  of  the  Arabian  warriors. 
The  troops  of  Mahomet  w^ere  skilfully  pos- 
ted on  the  declivity  of  the  hill  ;   and  their 


56  THE   LIFE    OF    MAHOMET. 

rear  was  guarded  by  a  detachment  of  fifty 
archers.     The  weight  of  their  charge  im- 
pelled and  broke  the  centre  of  the  idolaters; 
but  in  the  pursuit   they  lost  the  advantage 
of  their  ground :  the  archers  deserted  their 
station  :  the  Mussulmans  were  tempted  by 
the  spoil,  disobeyed  their  general,  eaid  dis- 
ordered their  ranks.     The  intrepid  Caled, 
wheeling  his  cavalry  on  tb.eir  iiank  and 
rear,  exclaimed,  with  a  loud  voice,   that 
Mahomet   was  slain.       He  was    indeed 
vv  ounded  in  the  f:ice  with  ajavelin  :    two  of 
his  teeth  were  shattered  with  a  stone  ;  yet, 
in  the  midst  of  tumult  and  dismay,  he  re- 
proached the  infidels  with  the  murder  of  a 
prophet ;  and  blessed  the  friendly  hand  that 
staunched  his  blood,  and  conveyed  him  to 
a  place  of  safety.     Seventy  martyrs    died 
for  the  sins  of  the  people  :    they  fell,   said 
the  apostle,  in  pairs,  each  brother  embrac- 
ing his  lifeless    companion  :    their  bodies 
Avere  mangled  by  the  inhuman   females  of 
Mecca  ;  and  the  wife  of  Abu  Sophian  tast- 
ed the  entrails  of  Ham za,  the  uncle  of  Ma- 
homet.    They  might  applaud  their  super- 
stition and  satiate  their  fury ;  but  the  Mus- 
sulmans soon  rallied  in  the  field,    and  the 
Koreisli  wanted  strenjrth  or  courae-e  to  un- 

•J  o 


THE  LIFE  OF    KAHOMET*  5f 

dertake  the  siege  of  Medina.  It  was  at- 
tacked the  ensuing  year  by  an  army  of 
ten  thousand  enemies ;  and  this  third  ex- 
pedition is  variously  named  from  the  na- 
tions, which  marched  under  the  banner  of 
Abu  Sophian,  from  the  ditch  which  was 
drawn  before  the  city,  and  a  camp  of  three 
thousand  Mussulmans.  The  prudence 
of  Mahomet  declined  a  general  engage- 
ment ;  the  valour  of  All  was  signalized  in 
single  combat  ;  and  the  war  was  protracted 
twenty  days,  till  the  final  separation  of  the 
conf^demtes.  A  tempest  of  wind,  raii\ 
and  hail,  overturned  their  tents  :  the  pri- 
vate quarrels  were  fomented  hy  an  insidi- 
ous adversary  ;  and  the  Koreish,  deserted 
by  their  allies,  no  longer  hoped  to  subvert 
the  throne,  or  to  check  the  conquests,  of 
their  invincible  exile. 

The  choice  of  Jerusalem  for  the  first 
kebla  of  prayer  discovers  the  early  pro- 
pensity oFMahomet  in  favour  of  the  Jews; 
and  happy  would  it  have  been  for  their 
temporal  interest,  had  they  recognised,  in 
the  Arabian  prophet,  the  hope  of  Israei 
and  the  promised  Messiah.  Their  obsti- 
nacy coiiverted  his  friendship  into  implac- 
able hatred,  with  which  he  pursued  that 


58  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

unfortunate  people  to  the  last  moment  of 
his  life  :  and  in  the  double  character  of 
an  apostle  and  a  conqueror,  his  persecu- 
tion was  extended  to  both  worlds.  The 
Kainoka  dwelt  at  Medina  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  city  ;  he  seized  the  occa- 
sion of  an  accidental  tumult,  and  su.m- 
moned  them  to  embrace  his  religion,  or 
contend  with  him  in  battle.  ''Alas," 
replied  the  trembling  Jews,  *'  we  are 
ignorant  of  the  use  of  arms,  but  we  per- 
severe in  the  faith  and  worship  of  our 
*' fathers;  why  wilt  thou  reduce  us  to 
*'  the  necessity  of  a  just  defence  ?"  The 
unequal  conliict  was  terminated  in  fifteen 
days  ;  and  it  was  with  extreme  reluct- 
ance that  Mahomet  yielded  to  the  impor- 
tunity of  his  allies,  and  consented  to  spare 
the  lives  of  the  captives.  But  their  riches 
were  confiscated,  tlieir  arms  became  more 
effectual  in  the  hands  of  the  Mussulmans  ; 
and  a  \\Tetched  colony  of  seven  hundred 
exiles  was  driven  with  their  wives  and 
children  to  implore  a  refuge  on  the  co:i- 
fiiiies  of  Syria.  The  Nadhirites  vrere  m.ore 
guilty,  since  they  conspired  in  a  friendly 
interview  to  assassinate  the  prophet.  He 
•^csieged  their  castle  three  miles  from  Mc- 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  59 

dina,  but  their  resolute  defence  obtained 
an  honourable  capitulation ;  and  the  gai'- 
rison,  sounding  their  trumpets  and  beat- 
ing their  drums,  was  permitted  to   depart 
with  the  honours  of  war.    TJie  Jews   had 
excited  and  joined  the  war  of  the  Koreish  : 
no  sooner  had  the  natiojis  retired  from  the 
ditch.,  than  Mahomet,  without  laying  aside 
his  armour,  marched  on  the  same  day  to 
extiq^ate  the  hostile  race  of  the  chiidi'en  of 
Koraidha.  After  a  resistance'of  twenty-five 
days, they  surrendered  at  discretion.  They 
trusted  to  the  intercession  of  their  old  al- 
lies of  Medina :  they  could  not  be  ignor- 
ant that  fanaticism  obliterates  the  feelings 
of  humanity.  A  venerable  elder,  to  whose 
judgement  they  appealed,  pronounced  the 
sentence  of  their  death  :    seven    hundreil 
Jews  were  dragged  in  chains  to  the  market- 
place of  the  city  :  they  descended  alive  in- 
i  to  the  grave  prepared  for  their  execution 
I  and  burial ;  and  the  apostle  beheld  with  an 
i  inflexible  eye  the  slaughter  of  his  helpless 
!  enemies.  Their  sheep  and  camels  were  in- 
j  herited  by  theMussulmans :  tliree  hundred 
i  cuirasses,  five  hundred  pikes,  a  thousand 
;  lances,   composed  the  most  useful  portion 
j  of  the  spoil.  Six  da}-s  journey  to  the  north- 


60  THE   LIFE  or  MAHOMET. 

east  of  Medina,  the  ancient  &  wealthy  town 
of  Chaibar  was  the  seat  of  the  Jewish  po\^'- 
er  in  Arabia  ;  the  territory,  a  fertile  spot  in 
the  desert,  was  cohered  ^'^ith  plantations 
and  cattle,  and  protected  by  eight  castles, 
some  of  which  were  esteemed  of  impreg- 
nable strength.  The  forces  of  Mahomet 
consisted  of  two  hundred  horse  and  fcur^ 
teen  hundied  foot :  in  the  succession  of 
eight  regular  and  painful  sieges  they  were 
exposed  to  dai:iger,andiktigue,and  hunger ; 
and  the  most  undaunted  chiefs  despaired 
of  the  event.  The  apostle  revived  their 
faith  and  courage  by  the  example  of  Ali, 
on  whom  he  bestowed  the  surname  of  the 
Lion  of  God  :  perhaps  we  may  believe  that 
an  Hebrew  champion  of  gigantic  stature 
was  cloven  to  the  chest  by  his  irresistible 
scymetai^ ;  but  we  cannot  praise  the  mo- 
desty of  romance,  v»  hich  represents  him  as 
tearing  from  its  hinges  the  gate  of  a  for- 
tress, and  wieldmg  the  ponderous  buckler 
in  his  left  hand.  After  the  reduction  of  the 
castles,  the  town  of  Chaibar  submitted  to 
the  yoke.  The  chief  of  the  tribe  was  tor- 
tured, in  the  presence  of  Mahomet,  to 
force  a  confession  of  his  hidden  treasure  : 
theindustty'ofthe  shepherds  i.nd  husba»d- 


THE  LIFE  or  MAHOMET.  61 

men  was  rewarded  ^vith  a  precai^ious  tol- 
eration :  they  w-ere  permitted,  so  lon^  as 
it  should  please  tiiie  conqueror,  to  improve 
their  patrimony,  in  equal  shares,  for  /lis 
emolument  and  their  own.  Under  the  reign 
of  Omar^  the  Jews  of  Chaibai'  were  tnms- 
planted  to  Syria-;  and  the  caliph  alleged  the 
injunction  of  his  dying  master,  that  one 
and  the  true  religion  should  be  professed 
la  his  native  land  of  Arabia. 

Five  times  each  day  the  eyes  of  Ma- 
homet were  turned  to^vai-ds  Mecca,  and  he 
was  urged  by  the  most  sacred  and  po\^  er- 
ful  motives  to  revisit,  as  a  conqueror,  the 
city  and  the  temple  from  M'hence  he  had 
been  driven  as  an  exile.  The  Caaba  was 
present  to  his  waking  and  sleeping  fancy  t 
an  idle  dream  was  translated  into  vision 
and  prophecy  ;  he  unfurled  the  holy  ban- 
ner ;  and  a  rash  promise  of  success  too 
hastily  dropped  from  the  lips  of  the  apostle. 
His  march  from  Medina  to  Mecca  display- 
ed the  peaceful  and  solemn  pomp  of  a  pil- 
grimage :  seventy  camels  chosen  and  be- 
decked for  sacrifice,  preceded  the  van ;  the 
sacred  territory  was  respected,  and  the  cap- 
tives were  dismissed  without  ransom  to. 
proclaim  his  clemencv  and  devotion. 
Y 


62  THE   LI?«  OF  MAHOMET. 

But  no  scorer  did  Mahomet  descend  into 
the  plain,within  aday's  jcurney  of  the  city, 
than  he  exclaimed,  "  they  have  clothed 
themselves  with  the  skins  of  tyg;ers  ;  "  the 
numbers  and  resolution  of  the  Kcreish  op- 
posed his  progress  ;  ajid  the  roving  Arabs 
of  the  desert  might  desert  or  betray  a  lead- 
er whom  they  had  followed  for  ihc  hopes 
of  spoil.  The  intrepid  fanatic  sunk  into  a 
cool  and  cautious  politician  :  he  waved  in 
the  treaty  his  title  of  rpostle  of  God,  con- 
cluded v/ith  the  Koreish  and  their  allies  a 
truce  often  years,  engaged  to  restore  the 
fugiti^'es  of  Mecca  who  should  embrace 
his  religion,  and  stipulated  only,  for  the 
ensuir.g  year,  the  humble  privilege  of  en- 
tering the  city  as  a  friend,  and  of  remain- 
ing three  da}s  to  accomplish  the  rites  of  the 
pilgrimage.  A  cloud  of  shame  and  sorrow 
hung  on  the  retreat  of  the  Mussulmans,and 
their  disappointment  might  justly  accuse 
the  failure  of  a  prophet  who  had  so  often 
appealed  to  the  evidence  of  success.  The 
faith  and  hope  of  the  pilgrims  were  rekin- 
dled by  the  prospect  of  Mecca  :  their 
swords  were  sheathed  ;  seven  times  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  apostle  they  encom- 
vpussed  the  Caaba  :  the   Koreisli  had  re- 


fHE   LIFE  OF    MAHOMET.  63' 

tired  IfOdie  hills,  and  Mahomet,  after  the 
customary  sacrifice,  evacuated  the  city  on 
tiie  fourth  day.  llie  people  was  edified 
by  his  devotion  ;  the  hostile  chiefs  were 
awed,  or  divided,  or  seduced  ;  and  both 
Caled  and  Anirou,  the  fature  conquerors 
of  Syria  and  Egypt,  most  seasonably  de- 
serted the  sinking  cause  of  idolatry.  The 
power  of  Mahomet  was  increased  by  the 
submission  of  the  Arabian  tril^es  :  ten 
thousanid  soldiers  were  assembled  for  the 
eonqae:5t  of  Mecca,  and  the  idolaters,  the 
v/eaker  party,  were  easily  convicted  of  vi- 
oLitlng  the  trace.  Endiusiasm  and  disci- 
pline impelled  the  march  and  pre3er\'ed 
the  secret,  till  tlie  blaze  of  ten  thousand 
fires  proclaimed  to  the  astonished  Korei^h, 
the  design,  the  approach,  and  the  irresistil 
ble  force  of  the  enemy.  The  haughty  Abu 
Sophian  pre-icnted  the  ].:eys  of  the  city, 
admired  the  variety  of  arms  and  ensigns 
that  passed  before  him  in  review  ;  observ- 
ed that  the  sou  of  Abddlah  had  acquired 
a  mighty  kingdom,  and  confessed,  under 
the  scymetar  of  Omar, that  he  w^as  the  apos- 
tle of  the  true  God.  The  return  of  Marius 
and  Sylla  was  stained  with  the  blood  of 
the  Romans  :  die  revenge  of  Mahomet  was 


64  THE  LITE  O?  MAH0M2T. 

Stimulated  by  religious  zeal, and  his  injured 
followers  were  eager  to  execute  or  to  pre- 
vent tlie  order  of  a  massacre.  Instead  of  in- 
dulging their  passions  and  his  own,  the 
victorious  exile  forgave  the  guilt,  and  unit- 
ed the  factions,  of  Mecca.  His  troops,  in 
ihree  divisions,  marched  into  the  city  '.. 
eight  and  tv;e]ity  of  the  inhabitants  were 
fJain  by  tPiC  sword  of  Cukd  ;  eleven  men 
i\nd  six  \\'omcn  were  proscribed  by  the 
ffCntence  of  Mahomet ;  but  he  blamed  the 
cnielty  of  his  lieutenarit ;  and  seveml  of  the 
>\iOst  obnoxious  victims  v/erc  indebted  for 
their  lives  to  his  clemency  or  contempts 
Mlie  chiefs  of  the  Koreieh  \verc  prostrate 
at  his  ktt.  **\yhat  mercy  can  you  expect 
''ffoni  the  man  whom  you  have  wrong 
**ed?"  We  confide  in  the  generosity  of 
*'  our  kinsman."  *'  And  you  shall  not  con- 
"^  fide  in  vain  t  begone !  you  ai'e  safe,  you 
*'  are  fiee."  The  people  of  Mecca  deserv- 
cd  their  pai'don  by  the  profession  of  Islam  ; 
itiid  after  an  exile  of  seven  years,  the  fui^.;! 
live  missionary  was  inthroned  as  the  prince 
ajid  prophet  of  his  native  country.  But  the 
three  hundred  and  sixty  idols  ofthe  Caaba 
v.cre  ignominiousiy  broken  ;  the  house  of 
God  was  purified  and  adorned  ;  as  an  ex- 


THE  LIf£   OF  ]JCAHOMET,  65 

ample  to  future  times,  the  apostle  again 
fLiltillecl  the  duties  of  a  pilgrim  :  and  a  per- 
petual law  was  enacted  that  no  unbeliever 
!  should  dare  to  set  his  foot  on  the  territory 
of  the  holy  city. 

The  conquest  of  Mecca  determined  the 
iaith  and  obedience  of  the  Arabian  tribes  ; 
who,  according'  to  the  vicissitudes  of  for- 
tune, had  obeyed  or  disregai'ded  the  elo- 
quence or  the  arms  of  the  prophet.  Indif- 
ference for  rites  and  opinions  still  marks 
the  character  of  the  Bedo weens ;  and  tliey 
might  accept,  as  loosely  as  they  hold,  the 
doctrine  of  the  Koran.  Yet  an  obstinate 
remnant  still  adiiered  to  the  religion  and 
liberty  of  their  ancestors,  and  the  war  of 
Honain  derived  a  proper  appellation  from 
the  idols,  whom  Mahomet  had  vowed  to 
destroy,  and  whom  the  confederates  of" 
Tayef  had  sworn  to  defend.  Four  thou- 
sand  pagans  advanced  with  secrecy  and 
speed  to  surprise  the  conqueror  ;  the}' 
pitied  and  despised  the  supine  negligence 
of  the  Korcish,  but  they  depended  on  the 
wishes,  and  perhaps  the  aid,  of  a  people 
who  had  so  lately  renounced  their  gods, 
md  bov/ed  beneath  the  yoke  of  their  ene- 
mv.    The  banners  of  Medina,  artd  Mecca 


66  THi   LITE   OF  MAKOMET- 

were displayed  by  the  prophet;  a  crowd 
of  Bedo weens  increased  the  strength  or 
numbers  of  the  army,  and  tAvelve  thou- 
sand Mussulmans  entertained  a  rash  and 
sinful  presumption  of  their  invincible 
strength.  They  descended  without  pre- 
caution into  the  valley  of  Honain  :  the 
heights  had  been  occupied  by  the  archers 
and  slingers  of  the  confederates;-  thci<r 
numbers  were  oppressed,  their  discipline 
was  confounded,  their  courage  was  appal- 
led, and  the  Koreish  smiled  at  their  im- 
pending destruction.  The  prophet  on  his 
white  mule,  was  encompassed  by  the  en- 
emies ;  he  attempted  to  rush  against  their 
jspeare  in  search  of  a  glorious  death  :  ten 
of  his  faithful  companions  interposed  their 
weapons  and  their  Ixeasts  ;  three  of  these 
fell  dead  at  his  feet:  ''  O  my  brethren, ''^ 
he  repeatedly  cried  with  sorrow^  and  indig- 
nation, "  I  am  the  son  of  Abdallah,  I  am 
*' the  apostle  of  truth  !  O  man  standfast 
**  in  the  faith  !  O  God  send  down  thy 
succour  I"  His  uncle,  Abbas,  who,  like 
the  heroes  of  liomer,  excelled  in  the  loud- 
Tiess  of  his  voice,  made  the  valley  resound 
w  ith  tiie  recital  of  the  gifts  and  promises 
of  God  :  the  flvine  Moslems  returned  frewn 


THE   LIFE   OF    MAHOMET.  6^' 

all  sides  to  the  holy  standard  ;  and  Ma- 
homet observed  ^vith  pleasure,  that  the 
io^irnace  was  again  rekindled  :  his  conduct 
and  example  restored  the  battle,  and  he 
animated  his  victorious  troops  to  inilict  a 
merciless  revenge  on  the  authors  of  their 
shame.  From  the  field  of  Honain,  he 
marched  without  delay  to  the  siege  of  Tay- 
ef,  sixty  miles  to  the  south-east  of  Mecca, 
a  fortress  of  strength,  whose  fertile  lands 
produce  the  fruits  of  Syria  in  the  midst  of 
the  Arabian  desert.  A  friendly  tribe,  in- 
structed (  I  kno\^^  not  how)  in  the  art  of 
sieges,  supplied  him  with  a  train  of  batter- 
ing rams  and  military  engines,  with  a 
body  of  five  hundred  artificers.  But  it  was 
in  vain  that  he  offered  freedom  to  the 
slaves  of  Tayef ;  that  he  violated  his  own 
laws  by  the  extirpation  of  the  fruit-trees ; 
that  the  ground  was  opened  by  the  min-^ 
ers  ;  that  the  breach  w\as  assaulted  by  the 
troops.-  After  a  siege  of  twenty  days,  the 
prophet  sounded  a  retreat,  but  he  retreated 
with  a  song  of  devout  triumph,  and  affect- 
ed to  j)ray  for  the  the  reperxtance  and 
safety  of  the  unbelieving  city.  The  spoil 
of  this  fortunate  expedition  amounted  to 
six  thousand  captives,   twenty  four  thoii- 


68  THE  LIFE    OF  MAHOMET. 

sand  camels,  forty   thousand  sheep,   and 
four  thousand  ounces    of  silver  :     a  tribe 
who  had  fought  at  Honain,  redeemed  their 
prisoners  by  the  sacrifiee   of  their  idols  ; 
but  Mahomet  compensated  the  loss,    by 
resigning  to  the    soldiers   his  fifth  of  the 
plunder,  and  ^vished  for  their  sake,  that  he 
possessed  as  many  head  of  cattle  as  there 
vrere  trees  in  the  province  of  Tehama.  In- 
stead of  chastising  the  disaifection   of  the 
Koreish  he  endeavoured  to  cut  out  their 
tongues  (his  ovvii  expression),   and   to  se- 
cure their  attachment  by  a  superior  meas- 
ure of  liberality  :    Abu  Sophiaii  alone  was 
})resented  v\  ith  three  hundred  camels  and 
twenty  ounces  of  silver  ;    and    Mecca  was 
sincerely  converted  to  the  profitable  religion 
of  the  Koran.  The  fug  i  trees  ziDd  auxiliaries 
complained,  that  they  "^vho  had  borne  the 
burthen  were  neglected  in  the  season  of 
victory.       "  Alas,"    replied  their  artful 
leader,    ''  suffer  me  to  conciliate  these  re- 
*'  cent  enemies,  these  doubtful  proselytes, 
*'bythe  gift   of  some   peri^lial3le  goods. 
'*  To  your  guard   1  entrust  my   life  and 
^^  fortunes.      You  are  the  companions  of 
**  my  exile,  of  my  kingdom,   of  my  para- 
* '  d ise . "      He  was  followed  by  the  depu- 


TK^E  LIF2   OF    MAHOMET. 


69" 


ties  ofTayef,  who  dreaded  the  repetition 
of  a  siege.  ''  Grant  us,  O  apostle  of  God  ! 
"  a  truce  of  three  years,  with  the  tolera- 
'*  tion  of  our  ancient  worship."  ''Not 
"  a  month,  not  an  hour.  *'  Excuse  us  at 
"  least  from  the  obligation  of  prayer." 
^'  Without  prayer  religion  is  of  no  avail." 
Thev  submitted  in  silence  j  their  temples 
were  demolished,,  and  the  satire  sentence 
of  destruction  was  executedon  dl  the  idols 
of  Arabia.  liis  iieutenaiUs,  en  the  shores  of 
the  Red  Sea,  the  Ocean,  and  the  Gulf  of 
Persia,  were  saluted  by  the  acduinations  of 
a  faithful  people ;  and  the  ambassadors  who 
knelt  beibre  the  throne  of  Medina,  were  as 
numerous  (  siys  m^  Ax^m  proverb  )  as 
the  dates  that  fall  from  the  miturity  of  a 
])ahTi-tree.  The  nation  submitted  to  tlie 
God  and  the  sceptre  of  rviahomct :  the  op- 
probrious name  of  tribute  was  abolished : 
the  spontaneous  or  rehictant  oblations  of 
alms  and  titlies  were  applied  to  the  service 
of  relip-ion :  und  one  liundred  and  fourteen 
thousand  Moslems  accompanied  the  last 
pilo^rimage  of  the  apostle. 

When  Heraclius  returned  in  triumph, 
from  the  Persian  war,  he  entertained,  at 
Emesfej.  one  of  the  ambassadors,  of  Ma-- 


70  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

hornet,  who  invited  the  princes  and  nations- 
of  the  earth  to  the  j>roiession  of  Islam.  On 
this  foundation  the  zeal  of  the  Arabians  has 
supposed  the  secret  convertion  of  the  Chris- 
tian emperor ;  the  vanity  of  the  Greeks 
has  feigned  a  personal  visit  of  the  prince 
of  Medina,  v/ho  accepted  from  the  royal 
bounty  a  rich  domain,  and  a  secure  retreat, 
in  the  province  of  Syria.  But  the  friend- 
ship of  HeracUus  and  Mahomet  was  of  short 
continuance  :  the  new  religion  had  inflam- 
ed rather  than  assuaged  die  rapacious  spirit 
of  the  Saracens ;  and  the  murder  of  an  en- 
voy afforded  a  decent  pretence  for  in\'ading, 
with  three  thousand  soldiers,  the  teiTitory 
of  Palestine,  that  extends  to  the  eastward 
of  the  Jordan.  The  holy  banner  was  en* 
trusted  to  Zeid ;  and  such  was  tlie  disci- 
pline or  entliusiasm  of  the  rising  sect,  that 
the  noblest  chiefs  served  witliout  reluc- 
tance, under  the  slave  of  the  prophet.  On 
the  event  of  his  decease,  Jaafar  and  Abdal- 
lah  vv'cre  successively  substituted  to  the 
command  ;  and  if  the  three  should  perish 
in  the  war,  the  troops  were  authorised  to 
elect  their  general.  The  three  leaders  were 
slain  in  the  batde  of  Muta,  tlie  nrst  niiltary 
action  which  tried  the  valour  of  the  ^Mos. 


THE  LIFE  Of   MAHOMET.  71 

lems  against  a  foreign  enemy.  Zcid  fell, 
like  a  soldier,  in  the  foremost  ranks  :  the 
death  of  Jaaf  ar  ^^'as  heroic  and  memorable ; 
he  lost  his  right-hand ;  he  shifted  the  stand- 
ard to  his  left ;  the  left  was  severed  from 
his  body ;  he  embraced  tke  standard  with 
his  bleeding  stumps,  till  he  was  transfixed 
to  the  ground  with  fifty  honourable  wounds. 
*^  Advance,'^  cried  Abdailah,  who  stepped 
into  the  vacant  place,  ^'advance  v/ith  con- 
**  lidenc^  ;  either  victory  or  paradise  is  our 
own.''  The  lance  of  a  Roman  decided  the 
iilternative  ;  but  the  falling  standard  was 
rescued  by  Caied,  the  proselyte  of  Mecca  i 
nine  sv^'ords  were  broken  in  his  hand  ;  and 
his  valour  withstood  and  repulsed  the  super- 
ior numbers  of  the  Christians.  In  the  noc- 
turnal council  of  the  camp  he  vras  chosen  to 
command  :  his  skilful  evolutions  of  the  en- 
suing day  secured  either  the  victory  or  the 
retreat  of  the  Saracens;  and  Caled  isre- 
novv^icd  among  his  bretliren  and  his  enemies 
by  the  glorious  appellation  of  the  Sword  of 
GmL  In  the  .pulpit,  Mahomet  described^ 
with  prophetic  rapture,  the  crowns  of  the 
blessed  mailyrs ;  but  in  private  he  betray- 
ed the  feelings  of  human  nature  :  he  m  as 
.surprised  as  he  wept  over  tlie  daughter  of 


72  THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET 

Zeid ;  "  What  do  I  see  ?"  said  the  astcn- 
]shedvotar3^  *' You  see,"  replied  the  apos- 
tle, ''  a  friend,  who  is  deplcrirgthe  loss  of 
**his  most  faithful  friend."  Alter  the  con- 
quest of  Mecca  the  soverign  of  Arabia  af- 
fected to  prev  ent  the  hostik  preparations  of 
Heraclius;  and  solemnly  prcclaimed  Mar 
against  the  Romans,  without  attempting  to 
disguise  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the 
enterprise.  The  Moslems  were  discoura- 
ged :  they  alledged  the  want  of  money,  or 
horses,  or  provisions  ;  the  season  of  haiTCst, 
and  the  intolerable  heat  of  the    summer : 
**  Hell  is  much  hotter,"  said  the  indignant 
prophet.  He  disdained  to  compel  their  ser- 
vice ;  but  on  his  return  he  admonished  the 
most  guilty,  by  an  excommunication  of 
fifty  days.    The  desertion  enhanced  the 
merit  of  Abubeker,  Othman,  and  the  faith- 
ful companions  \vho  devoted  their  lives 
and  fortunes  ;  and  Mahomet  displayed  hi3 
banner  at  the  head  of  ten  thousand  horse 
and  twenty  thousand  foot.  Painful  indeed 
was  the  distress  of  the  march :  lassitude  and 
thirst  were  aggrav  ated  by   the  scorching 
and  pestilential  winds  of  the  desert :  ten 
men  rode  by  turns  on  the  same  camel :  and 
they  were  reduced  to  the  shameful  nccessi- 


THE  LIFE  or    MAHOMET.  4  c> 

ty  of  drinking  the  water  from  the  belly  of 
that  useful  animal.  In  the  midway,  ten 
days  journey  from  Medina  and  Damascus, 
they  reposed  near  the  grove  and  fountain 
of  TabuG.  Beyond  that  place,  Mahomet 
declined  the  prosecution  of  the  war  ;  he 
declared  himself  satisfied  with  the  peaceful 
intentions,  he  was  more  probably  daunt- 
ed by  the  martial  array  of  the  Emperor  of 
the  East.  But  the  active  and  intrepid  Ca- 
led  spread  around  the  terror  of  his  name  ; 
and  the  prophet  received  the  submisdoii 
of  the  tribes  and  cities,  from  the  Euphrates 
to  Allah,  at  the  head  of  the  Red  Sea.  To 
his  Christian  subjects,  Mahomet  readily 
granted  the  security  of  their  persons,  the 
freedom  of  their  trade,  the  propert}-  of 
their  goods,  and  the  toleration  of  their vsor- 
ship.  The  weakness  of  their  Arabian 
brethren  had  restrained  them  from  oppo- 
sing his  ambition  :  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
were  endeared  to  the  enemy  of  the  Jews  ; 
and  it  was  the  interest  of  a  conqueror  to 
propose  a  fair  capitulation  to  the  most 
pov/erful  rehgion  oftlie  earth. 

Till  the   age  of  sixty-three  years,  the~ 
strength  of  Mahomet  ^vas  equal  t    the  tern- 
poral  and  spiritual  fatigues  of  his  Riission. 
G 


74  THE   LIPE   OF  MAHOMET. 

His  epileptic   fits,  an  absurd   calumny  of 
tl^e  Greeks,  would  be  an  object  of  pity  ra- 
ther than   abhonence  ;  but  he   seriously 
believed  that  he  was   poisoned  at  Chaibar 
by  tlie  revenge  of  a  Jewish  female.     Dur- 
ing  four  years,   tlie  health  of  the  prophet 
declined  ;    his  infirmities  increased  ;    but 
his  mortal  disease  was  a  fever  of  fourteen 
days,  which  deprived  him   by  intervals  of 
the  use  of  reason.  As  soon  as  he  was  con- 
scious of  his  danger,  he  edified  his  breth- 
ren by  the  humility  of  his  virtue  or  peni. 
tence.       *'  If  there  be  am/  man,"  said  the 
apostle  from   tlie  pulpit,    ''  whom   I  have 
*'  unjustly  scourged,    I  submit   my  own 
"  back  to  the  lash  of  retaliation.      Have  I 
*^  aspersed  the  reputation  of  a  Mussulman  ? 
*'  let  him  proclaim  rny  faults  in  the  face  of 
*Uhe  congregation.      Has  any  one  been 
*'  despoiled  of  his  goods  ?  the  little  I  pos- 
^'  sess  shall  compensate  the  principal  and 
'*  interest  of  the  debt."      "  Yes,"  replies 
a  voice  from  the  crowd,  "  I  am  entitled  to 
"  three  drams  of  silver."  Mahomet  heard 
the  complaint,   satisfied  the  demand,  and 
thanked  his  creditor  for   accusing   him  in 
this  world  rather  than  at  the  day  of  judg^ 
ment.     He  beheld  with  temperate  firm- 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  75 

ftessthe  approach  of  death  ;  enfranchised 
his  slaves    (seventeen    men,    as  ihey   are 
named  and  eleven  women  ;)  minutely  di- 
rected the  order  of  his  funeral,  and  moder- 
ated the  lamentations  of  his  weeping  friends, 
on  whom  he  bestowed   the  benediction  of 
peace.    Till  the  third  day  before  his  death, 
he  regulatly  performed  the  function  of  pub- 
lic prayer  :  the  choice   of  Abubekcr   to 
supply  his  place,   appeared  to  mark   that 
antient    and   fliithfui  friend  as  his  succes- 
sor in  the  sacerdotal  and  regal  oaice  ;  but 
he  prudently  declined   tlie  risk   and  aivf 
of  a  more  explicit  nomination.     At  a  mo- 
ment v/hen  his  faculties  ^vere   visibly  im- 
paired, he  called  for  pen  and  ink,  to  v/rite, 
or  more  properly  to  dictate,  a  divine  book, 
the  sum  and  accomplishment  of  all  his  re- 
velations :  a  dispute  arose  in  the  chamber, 
wliethcr  he  should  be  allov/ed  to  supercede 
the  authority  of  the  Koran  ;    znd  the  pro- 
phet was   forced  to   reprove  the   indecent 
vehemence  of  his  disciples.     If  the  slight- 
est credit  may    be    aiforded   to  the  tra- 
ditions of  his  wives  and  com.panions,  he 
maintained  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  and 
to  the  last  moments  of  his  life,   the  dignity 
©f  ail  apostle  and  the  faith  of  an  enthusiast ; 


75  THE  LITZ   OF  MAHOMET. 

described  tlie  visits  of  Gabriel,  who  bade 
an  everlasting  fai'ewei  to  the  earth,  and  ex- 
pressed his  lively  confidence,  not  only  of 
the  merc}%  but  of  die  favour  of  the  Su- 
preme Being.  In  a  familiar  discourse  he 
had  mentioned  his  special  prercgative,that 
ihQ  angel  of  death  y/as  not  allowed  to  take 
his  soul  till  he  had  respectfully  asked  ihe 
perniissioa  of  the  prophet.  The  request 
was  granted ;  and  Mahomet  immediately 
fell  into  the  agony  of  his  dissoluticn  :  his 
head  v/as  reclined  on  the  lap  of  Ayesha, 
the  best  beloved  of  all  his  vvdves  ;  he  fainted 
with  the  violence  of  pain;  recovering  his 
spirits,  he  raised  his  eyes  tovv^ards  the  roof 
of  the  house,  and,  Vvith  a  steady  look,, 
though  a  faultering  voice,  uttered  the  last 
broken,    though  articulate,  words  :      "  O 

God  ! pardon  my  sins 

Yes, i  cornc, among 

my  fellovz-citizens  on  high:''  and  thus 
peaceably  expired  on  a  carpet  spread  upon- 
the  floor.  An  expedition  for  the  conquest 
of  Syria  was  stopped  by  this  mouiTiful  e- 
vent  :  the  army  halted  at  tlie  gates  of  Me^ 
dina  ;  the  chiefs  were  assembled  round 
tlieir  dying  master,  llic  city,  more  es- 
pecially the  house,  of  the  prophet  was  a 


THE  LIFE    OF  MAHOMET.  77 

scene  of  clamorous  sorrow  or  silent  despair: 
fan?.ticism  alone  could  su^gei>t  a  ray  of 
hope  and  consolation.  *'  How  can  he  be 
**  dead,  our  witness,  our  intercessor,  our 
**  mediator,  with  God  ?  By  God  he  is  not 
**  dead  ;  like  Moses  and  Jesus  he  is  wrapt 
**  in  a  holy  trance,  and  speedily  ^viU  he  re- 
^'  turn  to  his  faithful  people."  The  evi- 
dence of  sense  was  disregarded  ;  and  O- 
mar,  unsheathing  his  scymetar,  threatened 
to  strike  off  the  heads  of  the  infidels,  who 
should  dare  to  affirm  that  the  prophet  ^vas 
no  more.  The  tumult  was  appeased  by 
the  weight  and  moderation  of  Abubeker. 
•^  Is  it  Mahomet,''  said  he  to  Omar  and 
the  multitude,  *'  or  the  God  of  Mahomet, 
*^  whom  yoU' worship  ?  The  God  of  Ma- 
*  *  homet  livetb  for  ever,  but  the  apostle 
**  was  a  mxortal  like  ourselves,  and  accor- 
"  ding  to  his  own  prediction,  he  has  ex- 
''  perienced  the  common  fate  of  mortality ." 
He  was  piously  intered  by  the  hands  of  his 
nearest  kinsman,  on  tlie  same  spot  on 
which  he  expired ;  Medina  has  been  sanc- 
tified by  the  death  and  burial  of  Mahomet; 
and  the  innumerable  pilgrims  of  Mecca 
often  turn  aside  from  the  way,  to  bo^v  in 
voluntary  devotion,  before  the  simple  tomb 
o/thc  prophet.  g 


78  THE  LITE   0?  MAHOMET. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  life  of  Monom- 
er, it  may  perhaps  be  expected,  that  I 
should  balance  his  faults  and  virtues,  that 
I  should  decide  v/kether  the  title  of  enthu- 
siast or  imposter  more  properly  belongs  to 
that  extraordinary  man.  Had  I  been  in^ 
tiniately  conversant  with  the  son  of  Abdah 
lab,  the  task  would  still  be  difficult,  and 
the  success  uncertain  :  at  the  distance  of 
twelve  centuries,  I  darkly  contemplate  his 
shade  through  a  cloud  of  religious  incense; 
and  could  I  truly  delineate  the  portrait  of 
an  hour,  the  fleeting  resemblance  v/ould 
not  equally  apply  to  the  solitary  of  mount 
Hera,  to  the  preacher  of  Mecca,  and  to  the 
conqueror  of  Arabia.  The  author  of  a 
mighty  revolutio!i  appears  to  have  been  en- 
dowed with  a  pious  and  contemplative  dis- 
position :  so  soon  as  marria2:e  had  raised 
him  above  the  pres'?ure  of  v/ant,  he  avoid- 
ed tlie  paths  of  ambition  and  avarice  ;  and 
till  the  age  of  forty,  he  lived  witli  inno- 
cence, and  would  have  died  without  a  name. 
The  unity  of  God  is  an  idea  most  conge- 
nial to  nature  and  reason ;  and  a  slight  con- 
versation \Yith  the  Jews  and  Ciiristains 
Vv'ou id  reach  him  to  despise  and  detest  the 
idolatry  of  Mecca.      It  was  the   duty  of  a 


THE  LITE   OF  MAHOMET.  i^ 

mrai  and  a  citizen  to  impart  the  doctrine 
of  salvation,  to  rescue  his  countiy  from  the 
dominion  of  sin  and  error.  The  energy  ol 
a  mind  incessantly  bent  en  the  same  ob^, 
ject,  would  convert  a  general  obligation 
into  a  particular  call ;  the  warm  sugges- 
tions of  the  understanding  or  the  fmicy, 
would  be  felt  as  the  inspirations  of  heaven  ; 
the  labour  of  thought  would  expire  in  rap-- 
ture  and  vision  ;  and  the  inv^^ird  sensation, 
the  iuvinsible  monitor,  would  be  discribed 
v/ith  the  form  and  attributes  of  an  angel 
of  God.  From  enthusiasm  to  imposture, 
the  step  is  perilous  and  slippery :  the  d^mon 
of  Socrates  ailbrds  a  memorable  instance, 
how  a  Vvisc  m.an  may  deceive  himself,  hov/ 
a  2:0 od  man  mav  deceive  others,  how  the 
conscience  may  slumber  in  a  mixed  and 
middle  state  betv/een  self- illusion  and  vol- 
untary fraud.  Charity  may  believe  that 
tiie  original  motives  of  ^Mahomet  were 
those  of  pure  and  genuine  benevolence  ; 
but  a  human  missionary  is  incapable  of 
cherishing  the  obstina^^e  unbelievers  whore-- 
ject  his  claims,  despise  his  arguments,  and 
persecute  his  life  ;  he  might  forgive  his 
persoiial  adversaries,  he  may  lawfully  hate 
tlie  enemies  of  God  ;  the  stern  passions,  of 


80  THE   LITE   or   MAHOMET. 

pride  and  revenge  ^vcre  kindled  in'^the  Bo- 
som of  Mah«)met,  and  he  sighed  like  the 
prophet  of  Niniveh,  for  the  destruction  of 
the  rebels  whom  he  had  condemned.  The 
injustice  of  Mecca,  and  the  choice  of  Me- 
dina, transformed  the  citizen  into  a  prince, 
the  lumible  preacher  into  the  leader  of  ar- 
mies ;  but  his  sword  was  consecrated  by 
the  example  of  the    saints;    and  the  same 
God  v/ho  aiHicts  a  sinful  world,  with  pesti- 
lence and  earthquakes,   might  inspire  for 
their  conversion  or  chastisement  the  valour 
of  his  servants.       In  the  exercise  of  politi- 
cal government,  he  was  compelled  to  abate 
of  the  stem  ri  gear  of  fanaticism,  to  comply 
in  some  measure  with  the    prejudices  and. 
passions  of  his  followers,    and  to  employ 
even  the  vices  of  mankind  as  the  instru- 
ments of  their  salvation.  The  use  of  fraud 
and  perfidy,  oferuelty  and  injustice,  were 
often  subservient  to  the  propagation  of  the 
faith  ;  and    Mahomet  commanded  or  ap- 
proved the  assassination  of  the  Jews  and  i« 
dolatcrs  who  had  escaped  from  the  field  of 
battle.    By  the  repetition  of  such  acts,  the 
character    of  Mahomet  must  have  been 
gradually   stained ;    and  the  influence  of 
such  pernicious    habits  would  be  poorly 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  21 

compensated  by  the  practice  of  theperson- 
al  and  social  virtues  which  are  necessaiy 
to  maintain  the  reputation  of  a  prophet  a- 
mong  his  sectaries  and  friends.  Of  his 
last  years,  ambition  was  the  ruling  passion; 
and*  a  politician  will  suspect,  that  he  se- 
cretly smiled  {t^ae  victorious  imposter  ! )  at 
the  enthusiasm  of  his  youth  and  the  credu- 
hty  of  his  proselytes.  A  philosopher  will 
observe,  that  their  credulity  and  /lis  suc- 
cess, would  tend  more  strongly  to  fortify 
the  assurance  of  his  divine  miss' on,  that 
his  interest  and  religion  were  inseparably 
connected,  and  that  his  conscience  would 
be  soothed  by  the  persuasion,  that  he  a- 
lone  v/as  absolved  by  the  Deity  from  the 
obligation  of  positive  and  moral  lav/s.  If 
he  retained  any  vestige  of  his  native  inno- 
cence," the  sins  of  Mahomet  may  be  allow- 
ed as  an  evidence  of  his  sincerity.  In  the 
support  of  the  truth,  the  arts  of  fraud  and 
fiction  may  be  deemed  less  criminal  ;  and 
he  would  have  started  at  the  foulness  of 
the  means,  had  he  not  been  satisfied  of  the 
imrportaace  and  justice  of  the  end.  Even 
in  a  conqueror  or  a  priest,  I  can  surprise 
a  word  or  action  of  unafiected  humanity  ; 
and  the  decree  of  Mahomet,  that,   in  the 


82  THE   LIFE   OF   MAHOMEt. 

sale  of  captives,  the  mothers  should  never 
be  separated  from  their  children,  ma}-  sus- 
pend or  mxoderate  the  censure  of  the  his- 
torian. 

The  good  sense  of  Mahomet  despised 
the  pomp  of  royalt}' ;  the  apostle  ofGcd 
submitted  to  the  menial  offices  of  the  famih-; 
he  kindled  the  fire,  s\vept  tlie  floor,  milked 
the  ewes,  and  mended  ^\ith  his  own  hands 
his  shoes  and  his  wooUen  .c;arnient.  Dis- 
darning  the  penance  and  merit  of  an  her- 
mit, he  observed  without  effort  or  vanitv, 
the  abstemious  diet  of  an  Arab  and  a  sol- 
dier. On  solemn  occasions  he  feasted  his 
companions  with  rustic  and  hospitable 
plenty  ;  but  in  his  domestic  life,  many 
weeks  would  elapse  v/ithout  a  fire  being- 
kindled  on  the  hearth  oftlie  proDbet.  The 
mterdiction  of  wine  was  coniirmed  by  his 
example  ;  his  hunger  was  appeased  with 
.1  sparing  allowance  of  barley -bread  ;  he 
delighted  in  the  taste  of  milk  and  honey  : 
but  his  ordinary  food  consisted  of  dates 
and  water.  Fcrfiimes  and  v.-om.en  v/ere 
the  two  sensual  enjoyments  which  his  na- 
ture required  and  his  religion  did  not  for- 
bid :  and  Mahomet  siTirmed,  that  the  fer- 
vour of  his   devotion*   was   increased  hj 


THE   LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  8.3 

these  innocent  pleasures.     The  heat  of  the 
cUmate  inflames  the    blood  of  the  Arabs  ; 
and  their  libidinous  cornplection  has  been 
noticed  by  the  writers  of  antiquity.  Their 
incontinence    was   regulated  by  the  civil 
and  religious  laws  of  the  Koran  :  their  in- 
cestuous alliances  were  blamed^the  bound- 
less licence  of  polygamy  -was   reduced  to 
four  legitimate  wives  or  concubines ;  their 
rights  both  of  bed  and  of  dov^y  vrere  e- 
quitably  determined  ;    the  freedom  of  di- 
vorce vv  as  discouraged,  adultery  was  con- 
demned as  a  capital  oiTence,    and  fornica- 
tion, in  either  sex,  was  punished  with  an 
hundred  stripes.    Such  wei'c  the  calm  and 
rational  precepts  of  the  legislator  :    but  in 
his  private  conduct, Mahomet  indulged  the 
appetites  of  a  man,  and  abused  the  claims 
of  a  prophet.    A  special  revelation  dispens- 
ed him  from  the  laws  he  had  imposed  on 
his  nation  ;  the  female   sex,   without  re- 
serve was  abandoned  to  his  desires  ;  and 
this  singular  prerogative  excited  the  envy, 
rather  than  the  scandal,  the  veneration,  ra- 
ther than  the  envy,  of  the  devout  Mussul- 
mans. If  we  rememl:)er  the  seven  hundred 
wives  and  three  hundred  concubines  of  the 
jvise  Solomon,  we  shall  applaud  the  mod' 


84  THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

esty  of  the  Arabian,  who  espoused  no  more 
than  seventeen  .cr  fifteen    wives;    eleven 
are  enumerated  v.  ho  occupied  at   Medii:ia 
their  separate  apartments  round  the  house 
of  the  apostle,  and  enjoyed   in  their  turns 
the  favour  of  his  conjugal  society.     What 
is  singular  enough,  they  v\ere  all  widovv^s, 
excepting   only  Ayesha,  the  daughter  of 
Abubeker.     S/ic  wtiS  doubtless  a  virgin, 
sirice   Mahomet  consumated  his  nuptials 
(such  is  the  prematuFe  ripeness  of  the  cli- 
mate)   when  she  was   only  nine   years  of 
age.     The  youth,    the  beauty,   the  spirit 
of  Ayesha,  gave  her  a  superigr  ascendant: 
she\^  as  belo^^ed  andtiTisted  by  the  prophet; 
and,  after  his  death,  the  daughter  of  Abu- 
beker was  lonp-  revered  as  the   mother  of 
the  faithful.    Her  behaviour  had  been  am- 
biguous   and  indiscreet :    in   a  nocturnal 
inarch,  she  v/as  accidentally   left  behind  ; 
and  in  the  morning  Ayesha  returned  to  the 
camp  with  a  man.     The   temper  of  Ma- 
homet  was   inclined  to  jealousy  ;    but  a 
divine  revelation  assured  him  of  her  inno- 
cence :  he  chastised  her  accusers,  and  pub- 
lished a  law  of  domestic  peace,  that  no  wo- 
man should  be   condemned  unless   f®ur 
male  -fitnesses  had  seen  her  in  the  act  of 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  85 

adiilteiy.  In  his  adventures  with  Zeineb, 
the  wife  of  Zeid,  and  with  Mary,  an  Egyp- 
tian captive,  the  amorous  prophet  forgot 
the  interest  of  his  reputation.  At  the  house 
of  Zeid,  his  freedman  and  adopted  son,  he 
beheld,  in  a  loose  undress,  the  beauty  of 
Zeineb,  and  burst  forth  into  an  ejaculation 
of  devotion  and  desire.  The  servile,  or 
grateful,  freedman  understood  the  hint, 
and  yielded  without  hesitation  to  the  iove 
of  his  benefactor.  But  as  the  filial  relation 
had  excited  some  doubt  and  scandal,  the 
angel  Gabriel  descended  from  heaven  to 
ratify  the  deed,  to  annul  the  adoption,  and 
gently  to  reprove  the  apostle  for  distrusting- 
the  indulgence  of  his  God.  One  of  hi^ 
wives,  Hafna,  the  daughter  of  Omar,  sur- 
prised him  on  her  own  bed,  in  the  em- 
braces of  his  Egyptian  captive  :  she  prom- 
ised secrecy  and  forgiveness  ;  he  swore 
that  ke  would  renounce  the  possession  of 
Mary,  Both  parties  forgot  their  engage- 
ments ;  and  Gabriel  again  descended  with 
a  chapter  of  theKoran,to  absolve  him  from 
his  oath,  and  to  exhort  liim  freely  to  enjoy 
his  captives  Sc  concubines,without  listening? 
to  the  clamours  of  his  wives.  In  a  solita- 
ry  retreat  of  thirty  days,  he  iaboured^  alf  iir 
H 


86  THE   LIFE  OF  MAKCMEt. 

with  Mary,  to  fulfil  the  commands  of  the 
angel.  When  his  love  and  revenge  were 
satiated,  he  summoned  to  his  presence  hi^i 
eleven  wives,  reproached  their  disobedi- 
ence and  indiscretion,  and  threatened  them 
^vith  a  sentence  of  divorce,  both  in  this 
world  and  in  the  next:  a  dreadful  sentence, 
since  those  v»  ho  had  ascended  the  bed  of 
the  propliet  were  forever  excluded  frcm  the 
hopeof  a  second  marriage.  Perhaps  the 
iacontnience  of  Mahomet  may  be  palliated 
by  the  tradition  of  his  natural  or  preternat- 
ural gift :  he  united  the  manly  virtue  of 
thirty  of  the  children  of  Adam  ;  and  the  a- 
postle  migth  rival  the  thirteenth  labour  of 
the  Grecian  Hercules.  A  more  serious 
and  decent  excuse  may  be  drawn  from  his 
fidelity  to  Cadijah.  During  the  twenty- 
four  years  of  their  marriage,  her  youthful 
husband  abstained  from  the  right  of  poly- 
gam}',  and  the  pride  or  tenderness  of  the 
venera!)le  matron  was  never  in-suited  by 
the  society  of  a  rival.  After  her  death, 
he  placed  lier  in  the  rank  with  the  four 
perfect  women,  with  the  sister  of  Moses, 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  Fatima,  the  best 
belo^'ed  of  his  daughters.  "  Was  she  not 
old  ?"  said  Ayesha,  vritji  the    insolence  of 


tUZ  LIFE  OF    MAHOMET.  87 

a  bU^oming  beauty ;  *'  has  not  God  given 
*'  you  a  better  in  her  place  ?''  '^  No,  by 
*'  God,"  said  Mahomet,  with  an  effusion 
of  honest  gratitude,  **  there  never  can  be 
*'a  better!  Shebeheved  in  me,  v»'hen  men 
**  despised  me  :  she  relieved  ray  wants, 
**  when  I  was  poor  and  persecuted  by  the 
**  world." 

In  the  largest  indulgence  of  polygamy, 
the  founder  of  a  religion  and  empire  might 
as})ire  to  multiply  the  chances  of  a  nim>c- 
rou3  posterity  and  a  lineal  succession. 
The  hopes  of  Mahomet  vrere  fatally  disap- 
pointed. The  virgin  Ayesha,  and*  his  ten 
widows  of  mature  age  and  approved  fertil- 
ity, were  barren  in  his  potent  embraces. 
The  four  sons  of  Cadijah  died  in  their  in- 
f:m3y,  Mary,  his  Egyptian  concubine, 
Avas  endeared  to  him  by  the  birth  of  Ibra- 
him. At  the  end  of  fifteen  months  the 
prophet  wept  over  his  grave  ;  but  he  sus- 
tained withSrmness  the  raillery  of  his  ene- 
mies, and  checked  the  adulation  or  credu- 
lity of  the  Moslems,  by  the  assurance  that 
an  ecli;«3C  of  the  sun  was  ;7^^  occasioned  by 
the  death  of  the  infmt.  C  idijah  had  like- 
wise given  him  four  daughters,  who  were 
married  to  tiie  most  faithful  of  his  disci- 


©(3  T?IE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

piles  :  thQ  three  eldest  died  before  their  fa- 
ther ;  but  Fatima,  who  possessed  his  con- 
iidence  and  love,  became  the  wife  of  her 
cousin  All,  and  the  mother  of  an  illustrious 
progeny.  The  merit  and  misfortunes  of 
All  and  his  descendants  will  lead  me  to 
anticipate,  in  this  place,  the  series  of  the 
Saracen  caliphs,  a  title  which  describes  the 
commanders  of  the  fl\ithfui  as  the  vicars 
and  successors  of  the  apostle  of  God. 

The  birth,  the  alliance,  the  character  of 
j^li,  which  exalted  him  above   the  rest  ©f 
his  countrymen,  might  justify  his  claim  to 
the  vacant"  throne  of  Arabia.  *    The  son  of 
Abu   Taleb   was,  in  his    own  right,  the 
chief  of  the  flimijy  of  Ilashem,   and   tiie 
hereditary  prinee  or  guardian   of  the  city 
icud  temple  of  Mecca.     The  light  of  pro- 
phecy  v/as   extinct ;  but  the  husband  of 
^'atima  might   expect  the  inheritance  and 
blessing  of  her  father;  the  Arabs  had  some- 
times  been  patient  of  a  female  reign  ;  and 
the  two  grandsons  of  the  prophet  had  often 
been  fondled  in  his  lap,    and  shewn  in  his 
pulpit,  as  the  hope  of  his  age,  and  the  chief 
of  the  youth  of  paradise.     The  first  of  the 
true  JDclievers  might  aspire   to  march  be- 
(brc  tiiem  in  this  world  and  in  the  next ; 


THE  LIFE   OF   MAHOMET.  89 

and  if  some  were  of  a  graver  and  more  rig- 
id cast,  the  zeal  and  virtue  of  Ali  were  ne- 
ver outstripped  by  any  recent  prcseiyte. 
He  united  tiie  qualifications  of  a  poet,  a 
soldier,  and  a  saint  :  his  wisdom  still 
breathes  in  a  collection  of  moral  and  relig- 
ious siiyings  ;  and  ever}'  antagonist,  in  the 
combats  of  the  tongue  or  of  tlie  sword,  was 
subdued  by  his  eloquence  and  vdlour. 
From  the  first  hour  of  his  mission,  to  the 
last  rites  of  his  funeral,  the  apostle  was  ne- 
ver forsaken  by  a  generous  friend,  v/hom 
he  delighted  to  name  his  brother,  his  vic- 
egerent, aiidtlie  faithful  Aaron  of  a  second 
Moses.  The  son  of  Abu  Taleb  was  after- 
wards reproached  for  neglecting  to  secure 
his  interest  by  a  solemn  declaration  of  his 
right,  which  would  have  silenced  all  com- 
petition, and  sealed  his  succession  by  the 
dcitjrees  of  heaven.  But  the  unsuspecting 
hero  confided  in  himself ;  the  jealousy  of 
empire,  and  perhaps  the  fear  of  opposition, 
luiglit  suspend  the  resolutions  of  Mahom- 
ci }  and  the  bed  oi  sickness  was  besieged 
by  tho.  artful  Ayesha,  the  daughter  of  A- 
bubel>er,  and  the  enemy  of  Ali, 

The  silence   and   d^ath  of  the  prophet 
restored  the  liberty  ofthe  people  ;  and  his 

H 


90  THE  LITE   OF  MAHOirET. 

companions  conver.ed  an  assembly  to  de- 
liberate on  the  choice  of  his  successor. 
'llie  hereditary  claim  and  lofty  spirit  of  A- 
h,  were  oftensive  to  an  aristocracy  of  elders, 
desirious  of  bestowing  and  resuming  the  i 
scepti'e  by  a  free  and  frequent  election  ;  the 
Koreish  could  never  be  reconciled  to  the 
proud  preeminence  of  the  line  of  Hashem; 
the  ancient  discord  of  the  tribes  was  rekin- 
dled ;  the  fugitives  of  M^cca.  £ind  tlie  aux- 
iliaries  of  Medina  asseited  their  respective 
meritSj  ?aid  the  rash  proposjd  of  chusing 
two  independent  caliphs  would  have  crush- 
ed in  their  infancy  the  religion  and  empire 
of  the  Saracens.  The  tumult  was  appeas- 
ed by  the  disinterested  resolution  of  Omar, 
who,  suddeijly  renouncing  his  own  pre- 
tentions, stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  de- 
dared  himself  the  first  subject  of  the  rnild 
and  venerable  Abubeker.  The  urgency 
of  the  moment,and  the  acquiescence  of  the 
people,  might  excuse  this  illegal  and  pre- 
cipitate  measure  ;  but  Omar  himself  con- 
fessed from  the  pulpit,  that  if  any  Mussul- 
man should  hereafter  presume  to  anticipate 
the  suffrage  of  his  brethren,both  the  elector 
and  the  elected  would  be  worthy  of  death. 
After  the  simple  hiauguration  of  Abubeker, 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  91 

he  was  obeyed  in  Medina,  Mecca,  and  the 
provinces  of  Arabia  ;  the  Hashemites  a- 
ione  declined  the  oath  of  iideUty  ;  and  their 
chief,  in  liis  own  house,  maintained,  above 
six  mondis,  a  sullen  and  independent  re- 
serve ;  without  listening  to  the  threats  of 
Omar,  vvdio  attempted  to  consume  with 
fire  the  habitation  of  the  daughter  of  the 
aposde.  The  death  of  Fatima,  and  the 
decline  of  his  party,  subdued  the  indignant 
spirit  of  Ali  :  he  condescended  to  salute 
the  commander  of  the  faithful,  accepted 
bis  excuse  of  the  necessity  of  preventing 
their  common  enemies,  and  wisely  reject- 
ed his  courteous  offer  of  abdicating  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Arabians.  After  a  reign 
of  two  years,  the  aged  caliph  was  summon- 
ed by  the  angei  of  death.  In  his  testa- 
ment, with  the  tacit  approbation  of  th,e 
companions,  he  bequeathed  the  sceptre  to 
the  firm  and  intripid  virtue  of  Omar.  ''  I 
^'  have  no  occasion  said  the  modest  can- 
*'didate,  '' for  the  place."  ^' But  the 
"  place  has  occasion  for  you,"  replied  A-^ 
bubeker;  who  expired  with  a  fervent  pray -^ 
er,  that  the  God  of  Mahomet  would  ratify 
his  choice,  and  direct  the  Mussulmans  in 
the  way  of  concord  and  obedieace.     The 


92  THE   LIFE  OF   MAHOMET. 

prayer  was  not  ineffectual,  since  All  him- 
sell,  in  a  life  of  privacy  and  prayer,  profes- 
sed to  revere  the  superior  worth  and  dig- 
nity of  his  rival  ;  who  comforted  him  for 
the  loss  of  empire,  by  the  most  flatter- 
ing marks  of  confidence  and  esteem.  In 
the  tvrelfth  yeai'  of  his  reign,  Omar  receiv- 
ed a  mortal  wound  from  the  hand  of  an 
assassin:  he  rejected  with  equal  imparuali- 
ty  the  names  of  his  son  and  of  Ali,  refused 
to  load  his  conscience  with  the  sins  of  hi> 
successor,  and  devolved  on  six  of  the  mo^t 
respectable  companions,  the  arduous  task 
of  electing  a  commandei  of  the  foithfuL 
On  this  occasion,  Ali  was  again  blamed 
by  his  friends  for  submitting  his  right  to 
the  judgment  of  men,  for  recognizing  their 
jurisdiction  by  accepting  a  place  among 
the  .six  electors.  He  miglit  have  obtained 
their  suffrage,  had  he  deigned  to  promise 
u  strict  and  servile  confonnitv,  notonlv  to 
the  Koran  and  tradition,  but  likewise  to 
the  determinations  of  two  seniors.  With 
these  lii'nitations,  Othman,  the  secretary  of 
Mahomet,  accepted  the  government  ;  nor 
was  it  till  after  the  third  caliph,  twenty- 
four  years  after  the  dccdh  of  the  prophet, 
that  Aii  wtiS   invested,   by  the    popular 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  93 

choice,  with  the  regal  and  sacerdotal  office. 
The  manners  of  the  Arabians  retained  their 
primitive  simplicity,  and  the  son  of  Abu 
Taleb  despised  the  pomp  and  vanity  of 
this  world.  At  the  hour  of  prayer,  he  re- 
paired to  the  mosch  of  Medina,  clothed  in  a 
thin  cotton  gown,  a  course  turban  on  hiis 
head,  his  slippers  ia  one  hand,  and  his 
bow  in  the  other,  instaid  of  a  walking  stail 
The  companions  of  the  prophet  and  the 
chiefs  of  the  tribes  saluted  their  new  sov- 
ereiga,  and  gave  him  their  right  hands  as 
a  siga  of  fealty  imd  allegiance. 

The  mischiefs  tiaat  flow  from  the  con- 
tests of  ambition  are  usually  confined  to 
the  times  and  countries  in  which  they 
have  been  agitated.  But  the  religious  dis- 
cord of  the  friends  and  enemies  of  Ah  has 
been  renewed  in  every  age  of  the  Hegira^ 
and  is  still  maintained  in  the  immortal  ha- 
tred of  the  Persians  and  Turks.  The  for- 
mer, who  are  branded  with  the  appeilation 
of  Shiites  or  sectaries,  have  enriched  the 
Mahometan  creed  with  a  new  ^ticle  of 
f  lith  ;  and  if  Mahomet  be  the  apostle,  his 
companion  Aii  is  Xht  vicar,  of  God.  In 
their  private  converse,  in  their  public  wor- 
ship, they  bitterly  execrate  the  three  usui*- 


94  THE  tIFE  O?  W  Alio  MET. 

pers  who  intercepted  his  indefeasible  right 
to  the  dignity  of  Imam  and  Caliph ;  and  the 
name  of  Omar  expresses   in  tiieir  tongue   I 
the  perfect  accomphshments  of  wickedness    ' 
and  impiety.     The  Sonnites^  who  are  sup- 
ported by  the  genial  consent  and  orthodox 
tradition  of  the  Mussuhnans,    entertam  a 
more  impcU-tial,  or  at  least  a  more  decent 
opmion.     They  respett  the   memory  of 
Abubeker,  Omar,  Othman,    and  Ali,  the 
holy  and  legitimate  successors  of  the  pro- 
phet.    But  they  assign  the  last  and  most 
liurable  place   to  the  husband  of  Fatima, 
in  the  persuasion  that  the  order  of  succes- 
sion  was   determined  by  the   decrees  of 
sanctity.     An  historian  who  balances  tlic 
ibur  caliphs  with  a  hand  unshaken  by  su- 
perstition,   will  calmly    pronounce,    that 
then-  manners  were  alike  pure  and  exem- 
plary ;  that  their  zeal  was  fervent,  and  pro- 
bably sincere  ;    and  that,   in  the   midst  of 
riches  and  power,   their  lives  were  devot- 
ed to  the  practice  of  moral  and  religious 
duties.     But  the. public  virtues  of  Abube-    . 
ker  and  Omar,  the.  prudence  of  the  iirst,  | 
the  severity  of  the  second,  maintained  the    \ 
peace  and  prosperity  of  their  reigns.    The 
feeble  temper  and  declinit)g  age  of  Othniaii 


THE   LIFE  or   MAKOMET.  95 

were  incapable  of  sustaining  the  weight  of 
conquest  and  empire.     He  ehose,   and  he 
was  deceived  ;  he  trusted,   and  he  was  be- 
trayed :  the  most  deserving  of  the  faithful 
became  Uvseless  or  hostile  to  his   govern- 
ment, and  his  lavish  bounty  was  produc- 
tive only   of  ingratitude  and  discontent. 
The  spirit  of  discord  v/ent   forth  in   the 
provinces,  their  deputies  assembled  at  Me- 
dina, and   the  Charegites,  the  desperate 
fimatics  who  disclaimed  the  yoke  of  subor . 
dination   and  reason,  were  confounded  a- 
mong  the  free-born  Arabs,   who  demand- 
ed the  redress  of  their  wrongs  and  the  pun- 
ishment of  their  oppressors.     From  Cufa, 
froin  Bassora,  from  Egypt,  from  the  tribes 
of  the  desert,  they  rose  in  arms,  encamp- 
ed about  a  league  from  Medina,  and  dis- 
pathced  an  haughty  mandate  to  their  sover- 
eign, requiring  him  to  execute  justice,  or 
to  descend  from  the  throne.      His  repent- 
ance began  to  disarm  and  to  disperse  the 
insurgents  ;  but  their  fury  was  re-kindled 
by  the  arts  of  his  enemies  :  and  the  forge- 
ry of  a  perfidious  secrctary   was  contrived 
to  blast  his  reputation  and  precipitate   his 
fall.     The  caliph  had  lost  the  only  guard 
of  his  predecessors,  the  esteem  andeonfi- 


96  THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

dence  of  the  Moslems  ;  during  a  siege  of 
six  weeks  his  water  and  provisions  were, 
intercepted,  and   the  feeble  gates  of  the 
palace  were  protected  only  by  tke  scruples 
of  the  more  timorous  rebels.     Forsaken 
b}'  those  w4io   had  abused  his  simplicity, 
the  helpless  and  venerable  caliph  expected 
the  approach  of  death  :   the  brother  of  A- 
yesha  marched  at  the  head  of  the  assassins; 
and   Othman   with  the  Koran  in  his  lap, 
was  pierced  with  a  multitude  of  v/ounds. 
A   uimuituous  anarchy  of  five  days  was 
appeased  by  the  inauguration  of  Ali  ;  his 
refusal  would  have    pro\'oked   a  general 
massacre.  In  this  pahiful  situation  he  sup- 
ported the  becoming  pride  of  the  chief  of 
the  Hashe mites  ;   declared  that  he  had  ra- 
ther serve  than   reign  ;   rebuked  the  pre- 
sumption of  the  strangers  ;  and  required 
the  formal,  if  not  the   voluntary,  assent  of 
the  chiefs   of  the  nation.      He  has  never 
been  accused  of  prompting  the  assassin  of 
Omar ;  though  Persia  indiscreetly  cele- 
brates  the  festi\'al  of  that  holy  martyr.  The 
quarrel  between  Othman  and  his  subjects 
was  assuaged  by  the  early  mediation    of 
Ali  ;  and  Hassan,    the  eldest  of  his  sons, 
was  insulted  and  wounded  in  the  defence 


THE  LITE  OF  MAHOMET.  V/ 

of  the  caliph.  Yet  it  is  doubtful  'wvhether 
the  father  of  Hassan  was  strenuous  and 
sincere  in  his  opposition  to  the  rebels  ; 
and  it  is  certain  that  he  enjoyed  the  bene- 
fit of  their  crime.  The  temptation  was 
indeed  of  such  magnitude  as  might  stag- 
ger and  coiTuptthe  m.ost  obdurate  virtue. 
The  ambitious  candidate  no  longer  aspir 
ed  to  the  barren  sceptre  of  Arabia  4  the 
Saracens  had  been  victorious  in  the  East 
and  West ;  and  the  wealthy  kingdoms  of 
Persia,  Syria,  and  Eg}'pt,  ^vere  the  patri^ 
mony  of  the  commander  of  the  faithful. 

A  life  of  prayer  and  contemplation  had 
not  chilled  the  martial  activity  of  All;  but 
in  a  mature  age,  after  a  long  experience 
of  mankind,  he  still  betrayed  in  his  con- 
duct the  rashness  and  indiscretion  of 
youth.  In  the  first  days  of  his  reign,  he  ncgr 
Iccted  to  secure,  either  by  gifts  or  fetters, 
the  doubtful  allegiance  of  Telha  kZobeir, 
two  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  Arabian 
chiefs.  They  escaped  from  Medina  to 
Mecca,  and  from  thence  to  Bassora  ; 
erected  the  standard  of  revolt ;  and  usurp- 
ed the  government  of  Irak,  or  Assyria, 
which  they  had  vainly  solicited  as  the 
reward  of  their  services.  The  mask  of 
patriotism  is  allowed  to  cover  th&  most 

T 


"08  THE   LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

glaring  inconsisencies  ;  and  the  enemies, 
perhaps  the  assassins,  of  Othman  now 
demanded  vengeance  for  his  biood.  They 
were  accompanied  in  their  flight  by  A- 
yesha,  the  widow  of  tlie  prophet,  who 
cherisiaed,  to  the  last  hour  of  her  life,  an 
implacable  hatred  against  the  husband  and 
the  posterity  of  Fatima.  The  most  rea- 
sonable Moslems  were  scandahsed,  that 
the  mother  of  the  faithful  should  expose 
in  a  camp  her  person  and  character ;  but 
the  superstitious  crowd  was  confident 
that  her  presence  would  sanctify  the  jus- 
tice, and  assure  the  success,  of  their  cause. 
At  the  head  of  twenty  thousand  of  his 
loyal  Arabs,  and  nine  thousand  valiant 
auxiliaries  ofCufa,  the  caliph  encountered 
and  defeated  the  superior  numbers  of  the 
rebels  under  the  walls  of  Bossora,  Their 
leaders,  Telha  and  JEobeir,  were  slain  in 
the  first  batde  that  stained  with  civil  blood 
the  arms  of  the  Moslems.  After  passing 
through  the  ranks  to  animate  the  troops, 
A3Tsha  had  chosen  her  post  amidst  the 
dangers  of  the  field.  In  the  heat  of  the 
action,  seventy  men,  who  held  the  bridle 
of  her  camel,  were  successively  killed  or 
w^ounded  ;  and  the  cage  or  liter  in  which 


the;  life  of  mahomet.  99 

she  sat,  was  stuck  with  javelins  and  darts 
like  the  quiiis  of  a  porcupine.  The  ven- 
erable captive  sustained  with  firmness  the 
reproaches  oF  the  conqueror,  and  was 
speedily  dismissed  to  her  proper  station, 
at  the  tomb  of  Mahomet,  with  the.  res- 
pect and  tenderness  that  was  stili  due  to 
the  v/idow  of  the  apostle.  After  this  vic- 
tor}^ which  was  styled  the  Day  of  the 
Camel,  Ali  marched  ag-ainst  a  more  for- 
midable adversjiry  ;  against  Moawiyah, 
the  son  of  Abu  Sophian,  who  had  assum- 
ed the  title  of  caliph,  and  whose  claim  was 
supported  by  the  forces  of  Syria  and  the 
interest  of  tht  house  of  Ommiyah.  From' 
the  passage  of  Thapsacus,  the  plain  of 
Siffin  extends  along  the  v/estern  bank  of 
the  Euphrates.  On  this  spacious  and 
level  theatre,  the  two  competitors  waged 
a  desultory  v/ar  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
days.  In  the  course  of  ninety  actions  or 
skirmishes,  the  loss  of  Ali  was  estimated 
at  twenty  five,  that  of  Moawiyah  at  forty 
five,  thousand  soldiers  ;  and  the  list  of  the 
plain  was  dignified  with  the  names  of  five 
and  twenty  veterans  who  had  fought  at  Be- 
der  under  the  standard  of  Mahomet.  In 
this  sanguinary  contest,  the  lawful  caliph 


aOO  the  life  of    MAHOMET. 

displayed  a  superior   character  of  valour 
aiid  humanity.       His  troops  were  strictly 
enjoined  to  await  the  firs^  onset  ol  the  en- 
emy, to  spare  their  flying  brethren,  and  to- 
respect  the   bodies  of  the   dead,  and  the 
chastity  of  the  female  captives..    Me  gen- 
erously proposed  to  save  iht  blood  of  tlie 
MoslcTfiS  by  a  single   combat  ;-  but   his 
txemblLng  ri^al  declined  the  challenge  aS' 
%  sentence  of  incvitiible  death..  The  rank s« 
cf  the    Syrians  were  br^^ken  by  the  charge- 
of  a  hero  V,  ho  was  mounled   en  a  pyebald 
horse  J  and  wielded  with   irre::'i stable  force 
lis ponderou s  and  t^ o -edged  svvord.    As . 
often  as  he  smote  a  rebeU  he  shouted  the 
-Allah  Acbar,  ''God  Js  victorious  ;^'   and" 
in  the  tumult  of  a  nocturiial  battJe,  he  was; 
hiCard  to  repeat  four  hundred   times  that 
tremendous  evclamalic).        The  prince- 
Q^  Damascus  already  meditated  Ins  Hight, 
bat  the  certain  victory  was  snatched  from. 
tjie  grasp  of  Ali'by  the  disobedience  and 
entliusia.sm.  of  his  troops.       Their  con- 
•science  was.  awTd  by  the    colemn  appeal 
to  the  books  of  the  Koran  which  Moaw- 
iyali  exposed  on  the  foremtost  lances., : :  and 
All  vvajs  compelled  to  yield  to  a  disgmce- 
igl  t^-uce  and  au  insiduou^   compromise.. 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  101 

He  retteated  with  sorrow  and  indignation 
to  Cufa  ;  his  party  was  discouraged  ;  the 
distant  provinces  of  Persia,  of  Yemen,  and 
of  Egypt,   were  subdued  or   seduced  by 
his  crafty  rival ;  and  the  stroke  of  fanati- 
cism which  was  aimed  against   the  three 
chiefs  of  the  nation,  was  fatal  only  to  the 
cousin  of  Mahomet.      In  the  temple  of 
Mecca,   three   Charegites  or   enthusiasts 
discoursed  of  the  disorders  of  the  church 
and  state  :    they   soon  agreed,  that   the 
deaths  of  Ali,  of  Moawiyah,  and   of  his 
friend  Amrou,  the  viceroy  of  Egypt,  would 
restore  the  peace  and   unity    of  religion. 
Each  of  the  assassins  chose    his  victim, 
poisoned  his  dagger,  devoted  his  life,  and 
secretly  repaired  t?)  the  scene    of  action. 
Their  resolution  was  equally  desperate  : 
but  the  first  inistook  the   person  of  Am- 
rou, and  stabbed  the  deputy  who  occupi- 
ed his  seat  ;  the  prince  of  Damascus  was 
dangerously  hurt  by  the  second  ;  the  law- 
ful caliph,  in  the   mosch  of  Cufa,  receiv- 
ed a  mortal  wound  from  the  hand  of  the 
third.     He  expired  in  the  sixty  third  year 
of  his  age,  and  mercifully  recommended 
to  his  children,  tliat  they  would  dispatch 
the  murderer  by  a  single    stroke.       The 


i02  THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

sepulchre  of  Ali  was.  concealed  from  the ;  - 
tyrants  of  the  house  of  Ommiyah ;  but  in 
the  fourth  ag;e  of  the  Heglra,  a  tomb, 
a  temple,  a  city,,  arose  near  the  ru- 
ins of  Cufu  Many  thousands  of  the 
Shiltes  repose  :;i  holy  ground  at  the  feet 
of  the  vicar  of  God  ;  and  the  desert  is 
vivified  by  the  numerous  and  annual  visits 
of  the  Persians,  who  esteem  their  devo- 
tion not  less  meritorious  than  the  pilgrim- 
:ige  of  Mecca. 

The  persecutors  of  Mahonret  usii!*ped 
the  inheritance  of  his   children  ;   and   the 
champions  of  idolatry  became  the  supreme 
heads  of  his  religion  and  empire.       The 
opposition    of  Abu    Sophian    had   been, 
fierce  and  obstinate  ;  his   conversion  was-, 
'.ardy  and  reluctant ;  his  new  faith  was  for-  - 
titled  by  necessity  and  interest;  he  served, 
he  fought,  perhaps  he  believed  v  and  the 
sins  of  the  time  of  ignorance  were  expiat- 
ed by  the  recent  merits   of  the  family  of 
Ommi}'ah.      IMoawiyah,  the  son  of  Abu  , 
Sophian,  and  of  the  cruel  Henda,  .was 
dignified  in  his  early  youth  v/itfi  the  of- 
fice or  title  of  secretary  of  the  prophet  ; 
the  judgment  of  Omav  entrusted  him  with 
the  government  of  Syria  ;  and  he  admin 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  103. 

istcred  that  irnportant  province  above  for-- 
ty  years  either  in  a  subordinate  or  supreme, 
rank.      Without   renouncing  the  fame  of 
valour  and  Hberality,  he  afiected  the  repu- 
tation of  humanity    and  moder^ition  :    a 
gratfrfal  people  was  attached  to  their  bene- 
factor ;  and  the  victorious  Moslem":;  were 
enriched  with  the  spoils   of  Cyprus  and 
Rhodes.     The  sacred   duty  of  pursuing 
the  assassins  of  Othman   was   the  engine 
and  pretence  of  his  ambition.  The  bloody 
shirt  of  the  martyr   was  exposed  in  the 
mosch  of  Damascus :    the   emir  deplored 
the  fate  of  his  injured  kinsman  ;   and  sixty 
thousand  Syrians  Vvcre  engaged  in  his  ser- 
vice by  an  oath   of  fidelity   aiid  revenge. 
Amrou,  the  conqueror  of  Egypt,   himsolf 
an  army,  was   the   first  who  saluted  the 
new  monarch,  and  divulged  the  danger^ 
ous  secret,  that  the  Arabian  caliphs  might 
be  created  elsewhere  than   in  the   city  of 
the  prophet.      The  policy  of  Moawiyah 
eluded  the  valour  of  his  rival  ;   and,  after 
the  death  of  Ali,  he  negotiated  the  abdi- 
cation of  his  son  Hassan,  v/hose  mind  was 
either  above  or  below  the   government  of 
the  v/orld,  and  \^'ho  retired  without  a  sigh 
from  the  palace  of  Cuf.i  to  an  humble  cell 


104  XHl   LIFE  or    MAHOMET.' 

near  the  tomb  of  his  grandfather.  The 
aspiring  wishes  of  the  caliph  were  finally 
crowned  by  the  important  change  of  an 
elective  to  an  hereditary  kingdom.  Some 
murmurs  of  freedam  or  fanaticism  attest- 
ed the  reluctance  of  the  Arabs,  and  four 
citizens  of  Medina  refused  the  oath  of  fi- 
delity ;  but  the  designs  of  Moawiyah 
were  conducted  with  vigour  and  address  ; 
and  his  son  Yezid,  a  feeble  and  dissolute 
youth,  was  proclaimed  as  the  commander 
of  the  faithful  and  the  successor  of  the 
apostle  of  God. 

A  familiar  story  is  related  of  the  bevo- 
knce  of  one  of  the  sons  of  Ali,  In  serv- 
ing at  table,  a  slave  had  inadvertently 
dropt  a  dish  of  scalding  broth  on  his  mas  - 
ter  :  the  heedless  wretch  fell  prostrate,  to 
deprecate  his  punishment,  and  repeated  a 
verse  of  the  Koran  :  "■  Paradise  is  for  those 
**  who  command  their  anger  :" — "  lam 
**  not  angry  :'^ — **  and  for  those  who  par- 
*'  don  offences  :" — **  I  pardon  your  of- 
**  fence  :" — ^'  and  for  those  who  return 
**  good  for  evil  :" — '*  I  give  you  your 
**  liberty,  and  four  hundred  pieces  of  sil- 
ver." With  an  equal  measure  of  piety, 
Hosein,  the  younger  brother  of  Hassan, 


THE  LIFE  OP  MAHOMET,  105 

inherited  a  remnant  of  his  father's  spirit, 
and  served  with  honour  ai^aint^t  the  Chris- 
tians  in  the  siege  of  Constantinople.  The 
primogeniture  of  the  line  of  Hashem,  and 
the  holy  character,  of  giandson  of  the 
apostle,  had  centered  in  bis  person,  and  he 
was  at  liberty  to  prosecute  his  claim  a- 
gainst  Yezid  the  tyrant  of  Dam:\scus, 
whose  vices  lie  despised,  and  whose  title 
he  had  never  deigned  to  acknawledge.  A 
li-st  was  secretly  transmitted  from  Ciifa  to 
Medina,  of  one  hundred  8t  forty  thousand 
Moslems,  who  professed  their  attachment 
to  his  cause,  and  wiio  v/cre  eager  to- 
draw  their  swords-  so  soon  as  he  should 
ijpTx^ar  on  tlic  biaiks  of  the  Eup!irates, 
Against  the  advice  of  his  wisest  friendsy. 
he  resolved  to  trust  his  person  and  fimily 
hi  the  hands  of  a  periidlous  people.  He 
ti-aversed  tlifC  djiieil  of  Arabia  with  a  tim- 
orous retinue  of  women  and  children  ;  but 
as  he  approached  the  conEaes  of  Irak,  h^ 
v;as  alarmed  by  the  solitary  or  hostile  face 
c  f  the  country,  and  suspected  either  the 
defection  or  ruin  of  his  party.  His  fears 
^verejust;  Obeldollali,  the  governor  of 
Cufa,  had  extinguished  the  first  .sparks  of 
aa  insurrection  ;  and  Hosein,,  in  tlie  plain. 


106  THE  LIFE   or  MAHOMET. 

of  Kerbela,  was  encompassed  by  a  body 
of  five  thousand  horse,  who  intercepted 
his  communication  with  the  city  and  the 
river.  He  might  stiil  have  escaped  to  a 
fortress  in  the  desert,  that  had  defied  the 
power  of  Caesar  and  Chosroes,  and  con- 
fided in  the  fidehty  of  the  tribe  of  Tai, 
which  would  have  armed  ten  thousand 
warriors  in  his  defence.  In  a  conference 
with  the  chief  of  the  enemy,  he  proposed 
the  option  of  three  honourable  conditions; 
that  he  should  be  allofved  to  return  to 
Medina,  or  be  stationed  in  a  frontier  gar- 
rison against  the  Turks,  or  safely  con- 
ducted to  the  presence  of  Yezid.  But 
the  commands  of  the  caliph,  or  his  heu- 
tenant,  were  stern  and  absolute  ;  and  Ho- 
sein  was  informed  that  he  mi-st  either 
submit  as  a  captive  and  a  criminal  torthe 
commander  of  the  faithful,  or  expect  iht 
consequences  of  his  rebellkvn,  **  Do  you 
'*  think.''  replied  he,  **  to  tenify  me  with 
'*  death  P^  And  during-  the  short  res- 
pite of  a  night,  he  prepaicd  v/ith  calm  and 
solemn  resignation  to  encounter  his  fate. 
He  checked  the  lamentations  of  his  sister 
Fatima,  who  deplored  the  impending  ru- 
in of  his  house,      **  Our  trust,"  said  Ho- 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET*  107 

sein,  **  is  in  God  alone.  All  things,  both 
**  in  heaven  and  earth,  must  perish  and 
**  return  to  their  Creator.  My  brother, 
**  my  father,  my  mother,  were  bet- 
^*  ter  tlian  me  ;  and  every  Mussulman  has 
'*  an  example  in  the  prophet."  He  pres- 
sed his  friends  to  consult  their  safety  by  a 
timely  flight :  they  unanimously  refused 
to  desert  or  survive  their  beloved  master; 
and  their  courage  was  fortified  by  a  fer- 
vent prayer  and  the  assurance  of  paradise. 
On  the  morning  of  the  fatal  day,  he  mounts 
ed  on  horseback,  with  his  sword  in  one 
hand  and  the  Koran  in  the  other :  his 
generous  band  of  martyrs  consisted  only 
of  thirty  two  horse  and  forty  foot ;  but 
their  flanks  and  rear  were  secured  by  the 
tent-ropes,  and  by  a  deep  trench  which 
they  had  filled  with  lighted  faggots,  ac- 
cording to  the  practice  of  the  Arabs.  The 
enemy  advanced  with  reluctance ;  and  one 
of  their  chiefs  deserted,  with  thirty  follow- 
ers, to  claim  the  partnership  of  inevitable 
death.  In  every  close  onset,  or  single 
combat,  the  despair  of  the  Fatimitcs  v/as 
invincible;  but  the  surrounding  multi- 
tudes galled  them  from  a  distance  with  a 
xloud  of  arrows,  &  the  horses  &  men  were 


iG8  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

successively  slain  :   a  truce  was  allowed  on 
both  sides  for  the  hour  of  prayer  ;  and  the 
battle  at  length  expired  by  the  death  of  the 
last  of  the  companions  of  Hosein.    Alone, 
weary,   and  wounded,  he  seated  himself 
at  the  door  of  his  tent.      As  he  tasted  a 
drop  of  water, he  was  pierced  in  the  mouth 
\\  ith  a  dart  ;  and  his  son  and  nephew,  two 
Ijeautiful  youths,  were  killed  in  his  ai-ms. 
He  lifted  up  his  hands  to  heaven,  they 
were  full  of  blood,  and  he  uttered  a  funer- 
al prayer  for  the  living  and  the  dead.     In 
a  transport  of  despair  his    sister  issued 
from  the  tent,  and  adjured  the  General  of 
the  Cufians,  that  he  would  not  suffer  Ho- 
sein to  be  murdered  before  his  eyes  :    a 
'tear  trickled  down  his   venerable  beard  ; 
and  the  boldest  of  his  soldiers  fell  back  on 
every  side  as  the  dying  hero  threw  him- 
self among  them.     The  remorseless  Sha- 
mar,  a  name  detested  by  the  faithful,  re- 
proached their  com  ardice  ;  and  the  grand- 
son of  Mahomet  was  slain  with  three  and 
thirty  strokes  of  lances  and  swords.     Af- 
ter they  had  trampled  on  his   body  they 
carried  his  head  to  the  castle  of  Cufa,  and 
the  inhuman  Obeidollah  struck  him  on 
ihe  mouth  with  a  cane  :   *'  Alas!''  ex- 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  10^ 

claimed  an  aged  Mussulman,  **on  these 
*'  lips  have  1  seen  the  lips  of  the  apostle  of 
God!'*  In  a  distant  age  and  dimate  the 
tragic  scene  of  the  death  of  Kosein  wi!!  a- 
waken  the  sympathy  of  the  coldest  reader. 
On  the  annual  festival  of  his  martyrdom, 
in  the  devout  pilgrimage  to  his  sepulchre, 
his  Persian  votaries  abandon  their  souls 
to  the  religious  frenzy  of  sorrow  and  in- 
dignation. 

When  the  sisters  and  children  of  All 
were  brought  in  chains  to  the  throne  of 
Damascus,  the  caliph  was  advised  to  ex- 
tirpate the  enmity  of  a  popular  and  hostile 
race,  whom  he  had  injured  beyond  the 
hope  of  reconciliation.  But  Yezid  pre- 
ferred the  counsels  of  mercy ;  and  the 
mourning  family  was  honourably  dismis- 
sed to  mingle  their  tears  with  their  kind- 
red at  Medina.  The  glory  of  martyrdora 
superseded  the  right  of  primogeniture  ; 
and  the  twelve  imams  or  pontiffs,  of  the 
Persian  creed  are  Ali,  Hassan,  Hosein, 
and  the  lineal  descendaats  of  Hosein  to 
the  ninth  generation.  Without  armj>,  or 
treasures,  or  subjects,  they  successively 
enjoyed  the  veneration  of  the  people,  &  pro- 
yoked  the  jealousy  of  the  reigning  caliphs: 
K 


110  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET, 

their  tombs  at  Mecca  or  Medina,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates,  or  in  the  province 
of  Chorasan,  are  still  visited  by  the  devo- 
tion of  their  sect.  Their  names  were  of- 
ten the  pretence  of  sedition  and  civil  war ; 
but  these  royal  saints  despised  the  pomp 
of  the  world,  submitted  to  the  will  of  God 
and  the  injustice  of  man,  and  devoted  their 
innocent  lives  to  the  study  and  practice  of 
religion.  The  twelfth  and  last  of  the  I- 
mams,  conspicuous  by  the  title  of  Maha- 
di,  or  the  Guide,surpassedthe  solitude  and 
sanctity  of  his  predecessors.  He  concealed 
himself  in  a  cavern  near  Bagdad  :  tlie  time 
raid  place  of  his  death  are  unknown  ;  and 
his  votaries  pretend,  that  he  still  lives,  and 
will  appear  before  the  day  of  judgment 
to  o^'erthrow  the  tyranny  of  Dejal,  or  the 
Antichrist.  In  the  lapse  of  two  or  three 
centuries  the  posterity  of  Abbas, the  uncle* 
of  Mahomet,  had  multiplied  to  the  num- 
ber of  thirty-three  thousand  :  the  race  of 
Ali  might  be  equally  prolific  ;  the  meanest 
individual  was  above  the  first  and  greatest 
of  princes  ;  and  the  most  eminent  were^ 
f'.upposed  to  excel  the  perfection  of  angels.' 
But  their  adverse  fortune,  and  the  wide 
extent  of  the  Mussulman  empire,  allowed 
an  am*pie  scope   for  every  bold  and  art- 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  Ill 

f\i\  impostor,  who  claimed  affinity  with 
ihe  holy  seed :  the  sceptre  of  tke  Almo- 
hades  in  Spain  and  Afric,  of  the  Fatimites 
ill  Eg^ypt  and  S}Tia,  of  the  Sultans  of  Ye- 
men, and  of  the  Sophis  of  Persia,  has  been 
consecrated  by  this  vague  and  ambiguous 
title.  Under  their  reigns  it  might  be  dan-  j 
[^erous  to  dispute  the  legitimacy  of  their 
birth;  and  one  of  the  Fatimite  caliphs  sil- 
enced an  indiscreet  question,  by  drawing  j 
his  scymetar  :  This,  said  Moez,  *'  is  my 
pedigree ;  and  these,"  casting  an  handful 
of  gold  to  his  soldiers,  ''  and  these  are  my 
**  kindred  and  my  children."  In  the  var- 
ious conditions  of  princes,  or  doctors,  or 
nobles,  or  merchants,  or  beggars,  a  swarm, 
of  the  genuine  or  fictitious  descendants  of 
IViahomet  and  All  is  honoured  with  the 
appellation  of  sheiks,  or  sheriffs,  or  emirs. 
In  the  Ottoman  empire,  they  are  distin- . 
guished  br  a  green  turban,  receive  a 
stipend  from  the  treasur}^  are  judged  only 
by  their  chief,  and,  however  debased  by 
fortune  or  character,  still  assert  the  proud 
pre-eminence  of  their  birth.  A  family  of 
three  hu>Kli  cd  persons,  the  pure  and  or- 
thodox branch  of  the  caliph  Kassan,  is 
preserved  without  taint  or  suspicion  in  the 


112  THE    LIFE  OF   MAHOMET. 

hoI}-  cities  of  INIecca  and  Medina,  and  stilL 
retails,    after   the   revolutions  of  twelve 
centuries,  the  custody  of  tiie  temple   and 
the  sovereignty  of  their  native  land.     The 
fame  and  merit  of  Mahomet  would     en- 
noble a  plebian  race,  and  the  ancient  blood : 
cfthe  Korcibh  transcends  the  recent  m.ijes- 
ty  of  the  kings  of  the  earth. 

The  talents  of  Mahomet  are  entitled  to 
our  applause,  but  his  sucefr;s  has  perhaps 
ti;c  strongly  attracted  our  admiration.  Are 
we  surprised  that  a  multitude  of  proselytes 
should  CTiibruce  the  doctrine  and  the  pas- 
sions of  an  eloquent  fanatic?  Ir.'  the   here- 
sies of  the  church,  the  same  seduction  h;is 
been  tried' and  rcf^xated  from  the  time  of 
tpe  apostles  to  that  of  the  reformers.  Does 
jt  ;s^ecLp.  Incredible  that  a  private    citizei) 
-Should  ^j;rasp  the   sword  and  the  sceptre,, 
.-/abdiie  his -native    'ccuntr3%  and   erect  a 
■:«iOnarchy  by  his  victorious  arms?  In  the 
•vioving  picture  of  the  dynasties  of  the 
J'"ast,  an  hundred  fortunate  usurpers  have 
arisen   fr?mi   a  baser  ^  origin,  siuTncunted  , 
more  formidable  obstacles,  and 'filled  a  lar- 
ger scope  of  empire   an.d  conquest.    'Ma-  ; 
homet  was  alike  instructed   to  preach  and 
^.0  fight,  and  the  union   of  these   opposite  . 


THE  I^IFS  OF  MAHOMET.  liS 

qualities,  while  it  enhanced  his  merit, 
coucributed  to  his  success  :  the  operation 
of  force  and  persuasion,  of  enthusiisui  and 
fear,  continually  acted  on  each  other,  till 
every  barrier  yielded  to  their  irresistible 
povvcr.  His  voice  invited  the  Arabs  to 
freedom  and  victory,  to  arms  and  rapine, 
to  the  indulgence  of  their  darling  passions 
in  this  world  and  the  other  ;  the  restraints 
which  he  imposed  were  requisite  to  estab- 
lish, the  credit  of  the  prophet,  and  to  exer- 
cise the  obedience  of  the  people  ;  and  the 
only  objection  to  his  success,  was  his  ra- 
tional creed  of  the  unity  and  perfections 
of  GkxL  It  is  not  the  propagation  but  the 
permanency  of  his  religion  that  deserves 
our  wonder  ;  the  same  pure  and  perfect 
impression  which  he  engraved  at  Mecca 
and  Medina,  is  preserved,  after  the  revo- 
lutions of  twelve  centuries,  by  the  Indian, 
the  African,  and  the  Turkish  proselytes 
of  the  Koran.  If  t^ie  Christian  apostles, 
St.  Peter  or  St.  Paul,  could  return  to.  tlie 
Vatican,  they  might  ppssibiy  enquire  the 
name  of  the  Deity  who  is  worshipped  with- 
such  mysterious  rites  in  that  magnificent 
temple  :  at.  Oxford  or  Geneva,  they  would 
experience  less  surprise ;  but  it  i^ight  still 
K  z 


114  THE    LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

be  incumbent  on  tliem  to  peruse  tl.e   cat- 
ecism  of  the  church,  and  to  study  the  or- 
thodox commentators  on  their  own  writ- 
ings and  the  Words  of  their  Mahler.     But 
the  Turkish  dome  of  St.  Sophia,  with  an 
iricrease  of  vSplendour  and  size,  represents 
♦.he  humble  tabernacle  erected   at  IMedina 
b\'  the  hands  of  Mahomet.     The  Mahom- 
etans have  uniformly  withstood  the  temp- 
tation of  reducing  the  object  of  their  faith 
and  devotion  to  a  level  with  the  senses  and 
imagination    of  man.       ''  I  believe  in  one 
"  God,andJvIahomet  the  apostle  of  God,'' 
is  the  simple  and  invariable   profession  of 
Islam.     The  intellectual  image  of  the  De^^-" 
iiy  has  never  been  degraded  by  any  visible^  *^ 
idol ;  the  honours  of  the  prophet  have  ne- 
ver transgressed  the   measure  of  hum^an 
virtue ;   and  his  living  precepts   have  re- 
strained the  gratitude  of  his  disciples  with- 
in the  bounds  of  reason  and  religion.  The 
votaries  of  Ali  have  indeed  consecrated 
(he  memory  of  their  hero,  his  w  ife,   and   ^^ 
his  children,  and  some  of  the  Persian  doc-  -J 
tors  pretend  that  the  divine  essence  was  iri-^  ' 
carnate  in  the  person  of  the  Imams  ;    but"  " 
their  superstition  is  universally  condemn- 
ed bv  the  Sounites  ;  and  their  impiety  has^*'* 


THE    LIFE  OF    MAHOMET.  115 

afFqrded  a  seasonable  warning  against  the 
worship  of  saints  or  martyrs.  The  meta- 
ph3-sical  questions  on  the  attributes  of  God» 
and  the  liberty  of  man,  Have  been  agitated 
in  the  schools  of  the  Mahometans,  as  well 
as  in  those  of  the  Christians  ;  but  among 
tlic  former  they  have  never  engaged  the 
passions  of  the  people  or  disturbed  the 
tranquilit}^  of  the  state.  The  cause  of  this 
important  clifFerence  may  be  found  in  the 
separation  or  union  of  the  regal  and  sacer- 
dotiil  characters.  It  was  the  interest  of 
the  caliphs,  the  successors  of  the  prophet 
and  commanders  of  the  faithful,  to  repress 
and  discourage  all  religious  innovations  : 
the  order,  the  discipline,  the  temporal  and 
spiritual  ambition  of  the  clergy,  are  un- 
known to  the  moslems  ;  and  the  sages  of 
the  law  are  the  gu.ides  of  their  conscience 
and  the  oracles  of  their  faith.  From  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Ganges,  the  Koran  is  ac- 
knowledged as  the  fundamental  code,  not 
only  of  theology  but  of  civil  and  criminal 
jurisprudence  ;  and  the  laws  which  re- 
gulate the  actions  and  the  property  of  man- 
kind, are  guarded  by  the  infallible  and  im- 
mutable sanction  of  the  will  of  God.  This 
ri^ie-ions  servitude  is  attended  with  some 


116    "       THE  LIFE  OF  MAlforfET.. 

pr&tical  disadvantage  ;  the  illiterate  legis- 
Jatorhad  been  aiten  misled  by  his  own  pre- 
judices 8c  those  of  his  country;  &  the  institu-  ^ 
tions  of  the  Arabian  desert  may  be  ill-ad- 
apted to  the  wealth  and  numbers  of  Ispah-  , 
an  and  Constantinople,  On  these  occa- 
sions, tlie  Cadhi  respectfully  places  on  hh 
head  :hc  holy  volume,  and  substkutes  a 
dextrous  interpretation  more  opposite  to 
the  principles  of  equity^  and  the  manners 
and  policy  of  the  times. 

His  beneiiciai  or  pernicious  influence  on; 
the  public  happiness  is  the  last  considera- 
tion in  the  character  of  Mahomet.  The 
most  bitter  or  most  bigotted  of  his  Clirist- 
ian  or  Jewish  foes,  will  surely  allow  that 
he  assumed  a  false  commission  to  incul- 
cate a  salutary  doctrine,  less  perfect  only 
than  their  own.  He  piously  supposed,  as 
the  basis  of  his  religion,  the  truth  raid  sanc- 
tity of  r/z^ir  prior  revelations,  the  virtues 
and  miracles  of  their  founders.  The  idols 
of  Arabia  w^ere  broken  before  the  throne 
of  God  ;  the  blood  of  human  victims  was 
expiated  by  prayer,,  and  fasting,  and  alms, 
tlielaudible  or  innocent  arts  of  devotion  ; 
and  his  rewards  and  punishments  of  a  fu- 
ture life  were  painted  by  the  images  most 


THE   LIFE  0?   MAHOMET.  117 

congenial  to  an  ignorant  and  carnal  gener- 
ation.    Mahomet  was  perhaps    ineupable 
of  dictiiting  a  moral  and  pohtical    system 
for  the   nse    of  his  conntrymen  ;    but  he 
breathed  among  the  Faithfui  a  spirit  of  cha- 
rity  and    friendship,    recommended   ,thQ^ 
practice  of  the  social  virtues,   and  check- 
ed, bj'.his  la^vs  and  precepts,  tiie  thirst  of 
revenge  and  the  oppression  of  \vido^^'s  and 
orphans.     The  liostile  tribes  were  united 
in  fl\ith  and    obedience,    and  the    valour 
which  had    been  idly    spent  in  domestic 
q.:iarrels,  was  vigorously  directed  against 
a  foreign  enemy.     Had  die  impulse   been 
less  powerful,    Arabia,  free  at  home,  and 
formidable  abroad,  might  have   fiourished 
under   a   succession   of  her  native  mon- 
arqiis,     Ller  sovereignty  was   lost  by  the. 
extent  and  rapidity  of  conquest.    The  col- 
onies of  the  nation  were  scattered  over  the 
East. and  "l^^est,  and  their  blood  was  min- 
gled with  the  blood  of  their  conveits  and 
captives.  After  tiie  reign  of  three  caliphs, 
the- throne    was   transported  from  Medina 
to  the  valley  of  Damascus  and  the  banks  of 
tiicTigiis;  the  holy  cities  Vvcre  violated  by 
im.pious  war;  Arabia  was  ruled  by  the  rod 
of  a  subject,   perhaps  of  a  stranger ;    and 


118  THE   LIFE   G?   .MAHOMET, 

the  Bedoweens  of  the  desert,  awakeniii^ 
from  their  dream  ox"*  dominion,  resumed 
their  old  and  solitary  independence. 

From  the  rapid  conquests  of  the  Sarac- 
ens a  presumption  will  naturally  arise,  that 
the  first  caliplis  commanded  in  person  the 
armies  of  the  faithful.and sought  the  crown 
of  martyrdom  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  the 
battle.  I'he  courage  of  Abubeker,  Om.ar, 
and  Otliman,  had  indeed  been  tried  in  the 
persecution  and  wars  of  the  prophet  ;  and 
the  personal  assurance  of  paradise  must 
have  taught  them  to  despise  the  pleasures 
and  dangers  of  the  present  world.  But 
they  ascended  the  throne  in  a  venerable  or 
mature  cige,  and  esteemed  tlie  domestic 
cares  of  religion  and  justice  the  most  im- 
portpjit  duties  of  a  sovereign.  Except 
the  presence  of  Omar  at  the  siege  of  Jeru- 
salem, their  longest  expeditions  were  the 
frequent  pilgrimage  from  Medina  to  Mec- 
ca ;  and  they  calmly  received'  the  tidings 
of  victory  as  they  prayed  or  preached  be- 
fore the  sepulchre  of  the  prophet.  The 
austere  and  frugal  measure  of  their  lives 
was  the  eifect  of  virtue  or  hal>zt,  and  the 
pride  of  their  simplicity  insulted  the  vahi 
maL^nificence  of  the  kincs  of  the  earth. 


THE  LIFE   OFMAHdMET.  119 

When  Abubeker  assumed  the  office  of  ca- 
liph, he  enjoined  his  daughter  Ayesha  to 
take  a  strict  account  of  his  private  patri- 
mony, that  it  might  be  evident  whether 
he  were  enriched  or  impoverished  by 
the  service  of  the  state.  He  thought  him- 
self entitled  to  a  stipend  of  three  pieces  of 
gold,  with  the  sufiicient  maintenance  of  a 
single  camel  and  a  black  slave;  but  on  the 
Friday  of  each  v/eek  he  distjibuted  the  re- 
sidue of  his  own  and  the  public  money, 
£rst  to  tlie  most  worthy,  and  then  to  the 
most  indigent,  of  the  Moslems.  The  re- 
tnainsof  his  wealth,  a  coarse  garment,and 
five  pieces  of  gold,  were  delivered  to  his 
successor,  who  lamented  with  a  modest 
sigh  his  own  inability  to  equal  such  an  ad- 
mirable model.  Yet  the  abstinence  and 
humility  of  Omar  were  not  inferior  to  the 
virtues  of  Abilbeker  ;  his  food  consisted 
of  barley- bread  or  dates  ;  his  drink  was 
water  ;  he  preached  in  a  gown  that  was 
torn  or  tattered  in  twelve  places ;  and  a 
Persian  satrap  who  paid  his  homage  to  the 
conqueror,  found  him  asleep  among  the 
beggai's  on  the  steps  of  the  mosch  of  Me- 
dina. Oeconomy  is  the  source  of  liberal- 
ity, and  the  increase  of  the  rerv'^nue  ena- 


120  TPIE   LIFE    OF  MAKOMET. 

bled  Omar  to  establish  a  just  and  perpet- 
ual reward  for  the  past  and  present  services 
of  the  faithful.  Careless  of  his  own  emo- 
lument, he  assigned  to  Abbas,  tlie  uncle 
of  the  prophet,  the  first  and  m.ost  ample 
allowance  of  twenty-fi^'e  thousand  drams 
or  pieces  of  silver.  Five  thousand  were 
allotted  to  each  of  the  aged  warriors, the 
relics  of  tlie  field  of  Beder,  and  the  last  and 
meanest  of  the  companions  of  Mahomet 
was  distinguished  by  the  aimual  reward  of 
three  thousand  pieces.  One  thousand  was 
the  stipend  of  the  veterans  who  had  fought 
in  the  first  battles  against  the  Greeks  and 
Persians,  and  the  decreasing  pay,  as  low 
as  fifty  pieces  of  silver,  was  adapted  to  the 
respective  merit  and  seniority  of  the  sol- 
diers of  Omar.  Under  his  reign,  and  that 
of  his  predecessor,  the  conquerors  of  the 
East  were  the  trusty  servants  of  God  and 
the  people  :  the  mass  of  the  public  treasure 
was  consecrated  to  the  expenses  of  peace 
and  war  ;  a  prudent  mixture  of  justice  and 
bounty,  maintained  the  discipline  of  the 
Saracens,  and  they  united,  by  a  rare  feli- 
city, the  dispatch  and  execution  of  despo- 
tiam,  with  the  equal  and  frugal  maxims 
of  a  republican  government.     The  heroic 


THE   LIFE  OF    MAHOMET*  121 

courage  of  All,  ihe  cQBsummate  prudence  of 
Moawiyali.  excited  the  emulation  cf  their 
subjects  ;  and  the  talents  which  had  been 
exercised  in  the  school  of  civil  discord. 
were  more  usefully  applied  to  propagate 
the  faith  and  dominion  of  the  prophet.  In. 
the  sloth  and  vanity  of  the  ]>alace  of  Damas- 
cus, the  succeeding  princes  of  the  house 
of  Ommiyah  were  alike  destitute  of  the 
qualifications  of  statesmen  and  of  saints. 
Yet  the  spoils  of  unknown  nations  were 
continually  laid  at  the  foot  of  theii'  throne, 
and  the  uniform  ascent  of  the  Arabian 
greatness  must  be  ascribed  to  the  spirit  of 
the  nation  rather  than  the  abilities  of  their 
chiefs.  A  large  deduction  must  be  allow- 
ed for  the  v/eakness  of  their  enemies. 
The  birth  of  Mahomet,  was  fortunately 
placed  in  the  .most  degenerate  and  dis- 
orderly period  of  the  Persians,  ^he  Romans, 
and  the  Barbarians  of  Europe :  the  em- 
pires of  Trajan,  or  even  of  Constantine  or 
Charlemagne,  would  have  repelled  the  as- 
sault of  the  naked  Saracens,  and  the  tor- 
rent of  fanaticism  might  have  been  ob- 
scurely lost  in  the  sands  of  Arabia. 

In  the  victorious  days  of  tlie  Roman  re- 
public, it  had  been  the  aim  of  the  senate 
to  confine  their  counsels  and  legions  to  a 
1. 


I!t2  THE   LIFE  Of  MAHOMET. 

single  war,  and  completely  to  suppress  a 
first  enemy  before  they  provoked  the  hos- 
tilities of  a  second.  These  timid  max- 
ims of  policy  were  disdained  by  the 
iTiagnanimity  or'enthusiasni  of  the  Arabian 
caliphs.  With  the  same  vigour  and  suc- 
cess they  invaded  the  successors  of  Au- 
gustus, and  those  of  Arlaxerxes  ;  and  the 
rival  monaixhies  at  the  same  instant  be- 
came the  prey  of  an  enemy  whom  they 
had  been  so  long  accustomed  to  despise. 
In  the  ten  years  of  the  administration  of 
Omar,  the  Saracens  reduced  to  his  obe- 
dience thirty. six  thousand  cities  or  castles, 
destroyed  four  thousand  churches  or  tem- 
ples of  the  unbelievers,  and  ediiied  four- 
teen hundred  moschs  for  tlie  exercise  of 
the  religion  of  Mahorsiet.  One  hundred 
years  after  his  flight  from  Mecca,  the  ai*ms 
and  the  reign  of  his  sucessors  extended 
from  India  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  over 
the  various  and  distant  provinces,  which 
may  be  comprised  under  the  names  of, 
I.  Persia;  II.  Syria;  III.  Egypt;  IV, 
Africa  ;  and,  V.   Spain. 

I.  In  the  first  year  of  the  first  caliph,  his 
lieutenant  Caled,  the  sword  of  God,  and 
the  scourge  of  the  infidels,  advanced  to 
tkc  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  and  reduced 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  123 

the  Cities  of  Anbar  and  Hira.  Westward 
of  the  ruins  of  Babylon,  a  tribe  of  seden- 
tary Arabs  had  fixed  themselves  on  the 
verge  of  the  desert  ;  and  Hira  was  the 
seat  of  a  race  of  kinf2:s  who  iiad  embraced 
the  Christian  religion,  and  rei:^-ned  above 
six  Jiundrcd  years  under  the  shadow  of 
the  throne  of  Persia.  Tiie  k.st  of  the 
Mondars  was  defeated  and  slain  by  Caied; 
his  son  was  sent  a  captive  to  Medina  ;  his 
nobles  bowed  before  the  snccestvor  of  the 
prophet ;  the  peo])le  was  tempted  by  the 
example  and  success  of  their  countrymen  ; 
and  the  caliph  accepted  as  the  first  fruits 
of  foreign  conquest,  an  annual  tribute  of 
seventy  thousand  pieces  of  gold.  The 
conquerors,  and  even  their  historifins. 
^vere  astonished  by  the  dawn  of  their  fu- 
ture greatness  :  "  In  the  same  year/'  says 
iiimacin,  *'  Caled  fought  many  signal  br:t- 
•'  ties  ;  an  immense  multitude  of  the  hifi* 
*'  dels  was  slaup^htered  ;  and  spoils,  infin- 
* '  ite  and  innumerable,  were  acquired  by 
*'  the  victorious  Moslems.'*  But  the  in- 
vincible Caled  was  soon  transferred  to  the 
Syrian  war  :  the  invasion  of  the  Persian 
frontier  was  conducted  by  less  active  or 
less  prudent  commanders  :  the  Saracens 
were  repulsed  with  loss  in  the  passage  oi 


124  TUZ  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET. 

the  Euphrates  ;  and,  though  they  cha.stis- 
ed  the  insolent  pursuit  of  the  j^/lagians, 
their  remaining  forces  stiii  hovered  m  the 
desert  of  Babylori. 

The  indignation  mid  fears  cf  the  Per- 
sians suspended  for  a  mcmejit  their  intes- 
tine divi-aions.     By  the  unanimous   sen- 
tence of  the  priests  ^uid  nobles,  their  qi^een 
Arz^ma  vva&  deposed;    the  sixth  of  the 
ti'ansient  tisurpers,  who  had  arisen  and 
vanished  in  three  or  four  years,  since  tlie 
death  of  Ckosroes  and  tlie  retreat  of  Her- 
aciius.      Her  tiara  v,  as  placed  tn  the  head 
of  Ye^degerd,  the  grandson  of  Chssroes ; 
and  the  same  acra,  which  comcides   With 
an  aBtronoaiicai  period  >   has  recorded  the 
iall  of  the    Sassanian  dynasty   raid  the  re- 
ligion of  Zoroaster.     The  youth  and  inex- 
perience of  the  prince,  he  v/as  only  ^fifteen 
years    of  sge,    declined    a  perilous    en- 
counter :  the  royal  standard    was  deliver- 
ed into  the  hands  of  his  general  Rustam  ; 
and  a  remnant  of  thirty  thousand  regular 
troops  was  swelled  in  truth,  or  in  opinion, 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty  tliousand  sub- 
jects,   or  allies,  of  the  great   king.     The 
Moslems,  v^^hose  numbers  were  reinforced 
from  twelve  to  thirty  thousand,  had  pitch- 
ed their  camp  in  the  plains  of  Cadesia  : 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMKT.  125 

and  their  line,  though  it  consisted  of  few- 
er men,  could  produce  more  soldiers  than 
the  unwieldy  hosts  of  the  infidels.  I  shall 
here  observe  what  i  must  often  repeat, 
that  the  charge  of  the  Arabs  was  not  Hke 
that  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  the  eflbrt 
of  a  iirni  and  compact  infantry  :  their  mili- 
tary force  was  chiefly  formed  of  cavalry 
and  archers  ;  and  the  engagement,  w^hich 
was  often  interrupted  and  often  renewed 
by  single  combats  and  flying  skirmishes, 
might  be  protracted  without  any  decisive 
event  to  the  continuance  of  several  days. 
The  periods  of  the  battle  of  Cadesia  were 
distinguished  by  theirpeculiar  appellations. 
The  first,  ft^om  the  well-timed  appearance 
of  six  thousand  of  the  Syrian  brethren, 
was  denominated  the  day  of  mccoiir.  The 
day  of  concussion  might  express  the  disor- 
der of  one,  or  perhaps  of  both,  of  the  con- 
tending armies.  The  third,  a  nocturnal 
tumult,  received  the  whimsical  name  of 
the  night  of /^^/rfe^,  from  the  discordant 
clamours,  v/hich  were  compared  to  the  in- 
articulate sounds  of  the  fiercest  animals. 
The  morning  of  the  succeeding  day  deter- 
mined  the  fate  of  Persia  ;  and  a  seasona- 
ble whirlwind  drove  a  cloud  of  dust  a- 
gainst  the  fices  ofthe  unbelievers.  The 
^  L  2 


125  THE   LIFE  or  MAHOMET. 

clangor  of  cU'ins  was  re-echoed  to  the  tent 
of  Rustam,    who,   far  unlike   the  ancient 
hero  of  his  name,   was  gently  reclining  in 
a  cool  and  tranquil  shade,  amidst  the  bag- 
gage of  his  camp,    and  the  train  of  mules 
that  were  laden  with  s  old  and  silver.    Oa 
tlie  sound  of  danser  he  started  from  his 
conch  ;   but  his  iilght  was  overtaken  by  a 
valiant  Arab,  who  caught  him  by  the  foot, 
struck  off  his  head,    hoisted  it  on  a  lance, 
and  instantly  returning  to  the  field  of  bat- 
tle, carried  slaughter  and  dismay   among 
the  thickest  ranks  of  the  Persians.     The 
Saracens  confess  a  loss  of  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  men ;  and  the  battle  of  Cade- 
sia  is  justly  described  by  the  epithets  of 
obstinate  and  atrocious.     The  standard  of 
the  monarchy  was  overthrow  n  and  captur- 
ed, in  the  field — a  leathern  apron  of  a  black- 
smith, who,  in  ancient   times,  had  arisen 
the  deliverer  of  Persia  ;   but  this  badge  of 
heroic  poverty  was  disguised,  and  almost 
concealed  by  a  profusion  of  precious  gems. 
After  this  victory,  the  wealthy  province  of 
Irak  or  Assyria   submitted  to   the  caliph, 
and  his  conquests  were  hrmly  established 
by  the  speedy   foundation   of  Bassora,  a 
place  which  ever  commands  the  trade  and 
riavie:ation  of  the  Persians.     At  the  dis-* 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  127 

tince  of.  fourscore  miles  from  the  Gulf,  t!is 
Euphrates  and  Tigris  unite  in  a  broad  and 
direct  current,  which  is  aptl^  styied  the 
river  of  the  Arabs.  In  the  mid-wa}^  be- 
tween the  J  unction  and  the  mouth  of  these 
famous  streams,  the  nev/  settlement  was 
planted  on  the  western  bank  ;  the  first  col- 
ony was  composed  of  eight  hundred  Mos- 
lems; but  the  influence  of  the  situation  soon 
reared  a  flourishing  and  populous  capital. 
The  air,  though  excessively  hot,  is  pure 
and  healthy  :  the  meadows  are  filled  with 
palm-trees  and  cattle  ;  anvd  one  of  the  ^ 'l- 
jacent  vailies  has  been  celebrated  among 
the  four  paradises  or  gardens  of  Asia.  Un- 
der the  first  caliphs,  the  jurisdiction  of  this 
Arabian  colony  extencfed  over  the  south- 
ern provinces  of  Persia  :  the  city  has  been 
sanctified  by  the  tombs  of  the  companions 
and  martyrs  ;  and  the  vessels  of  Europe 
still  frequent  the  port  cfBassora,  as  a  con- 
venient station  and  passage  of  the  Indian 
trade. 

After  the  defeat  of  Cadesia,  a  country 
intersected  by  rivers  and  canals  might  have 
opposed  an  insuperable  barrier  to  the  vic- 
torious cavalry;  and  the  v/alls  cfCtesiphon  or 
Madayn,  Vv-hich  had  resisted  the  battering- 
rams  of  the  Romrms,  ^vould  not  have  yield- 


128  THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMETe 

ed  to  the  dirt:3  of  the  Saracens.  But  the 
Hying  Persians  v/ere  overcome  by  the  be- 
lief, that  the  last  dity  or  their  religion  and 
empire  was  at  hand  :  the  sti'ongest  posts 
were  abandoned  by  treachery  or  cowardice; 
and  the  king,  widi  a  part  of  his  family  and 
treasures,  escaped  to  Holwan  at  the  foot  of 
the  Median  hiils.  In  the  third  month  after 
the  batde,  Said,  the  lieutenant  of  Omar, 
passed  the  Tigris  without  opposition  ;  tliQ 
capital  was  taken  by  assault  ;  and  the  dis- 
orderly resistance  of  the  people  gave  a 
keener  tdge  to  the  sabres  of  the  Moslems^ 
who  shouted  with  religious  transport, 
**  This  is  the  white  palace  of  Chosroes,this 
**  is  the  promise  of  the  apostle  of  God  !"^ 
The  naked  robbers  of  the  desei't  were 
suddenly  enriched  beyond  the  measure  of 
their  hope  or  knowledge.  Each  chamber 
revealed  a  new  treasure  secreted  with  art, 
or  ostentatiously  displayed  ;  the  gold  and 
silver;  the  various  wardrobes  and  precious 
furniture,  surpassed  (says  Abullfcda)  the 
estimate  of  fancy  or  numbers  ;  and  anoth- 
er historian  defines  the  untold  and  almost 
infinite  mass,  by  the  fabulous  computa- 
tion of  thi'ee  thousands  of  thousimds  of 
thousands  of  pieces  of  gold.  Some  mi- ^ 
nute  though  curious  facts   represent  the 


THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  129 

contrast  of  riches  and  ignorance.  From 
the  remote  islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  a 
large  provision  of  camphire  had  been  im- 
ported, which  is  employed  witli  a  mixture 
of  wax  to  iHu  minute  the  palaces  of  the 
East.  Strangers  to  the  name  and  proper- 
ties of  that  odoriferous  gnm,  the  Saracens, 
miHtakin.fT  it  for  salt,  mingled  tiie  camphire 
in  their  bread,  and  were  astonished,  at  the 
bitterness  of  the  tar>te.  One  of  the  apart- 
ments  of  the  palace  was  decorated  with  a 
carpet  of  silk,  sixty  cubits  in  length,  and 
as  many  m  breadth  ;  a  paradise  or  garden 
was  depictured  on  the  ground  ;  the  flow- 
ers,  fruits,  and  shrubs  were  imitated  bv 
the  jfig"ures  cf  the  gold  embroidery,  and 
the  colours  of  the  precious  stones  ;  and 
the  c'jmple  square  was  encircled  by  a  vari- 
egated and  verdant  border.  The  Arabian 
general  persuaded  hU  soldiers  to  relin- 
quish their  claim,  in  the  reasonable  hope^ 
that  the  eyes  of  the  caliph  would  be  de- 
lighted with  the  splendid  workmanship  of 
nature  and  industrv.  Res-ardless  of  the 
merit  of  ait  and  the  pomp  of  royalty,  the 
n;^id  Omar  divided  the  prize  among  his 
brethren  of  Medina  :  the  picture  Tvas  de- 
stroyed ;  but  such  was  the  intrinsic  value 
•61  the  materials,  that  the  share  of  All  alone 


130  THE   LIFE   GF  ."MAHOMEr. 

Wi:s  sold  for  twenty  thousand  drams.     A 
mule  that  carried  iiway  the  tiara  and  cui- 
rass, the  belt   and  bracelets  of  Chosroes, 
'^vas  overtaken  by  the  pursuers  ;    thegor- 
geoUvS  irophy  was  presented  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  faithful,  aiul  the   gravest  of 
the    companions  condescended  to   smile 
when  they  beheld  the  v.hite  beard,    hairy 
arms,  &  uncouth  figure  of  the  veteran,  wh.o 
^vas  invested   with  the  spoils  of  the  great 
king.     The  sack  cfCtesiphon  was  follow- 
ed by  its  deseriicn  and  gradual  decay. The 
Saracens  disliked  the  air   and  situation  of 
the  place,  and  Omar  was  advised   by  his 
general  to  rem.ove  the  seat  of  government 
to  the  V.  estern  side  of  the  Euphrates,     la 
every  age  the  foundation  and  ruin    of  the 
Assyrian  cities  has  been  easy  and  rapid  ; 
the  country  is  destitute  cf  stone   raid  titji- 
ber,  and  the  most  solid structmxs  are  com- 
posed of  brick  baked  in  the  sun^  and  join- 
ed by   a  cement   of  the   native   bitumen* 
The  name  of  Ci^fa,  describes  an   iiabita- 
tion  of  reeds  and  earth ;  lyat  theimportaneg 
of  the  new  capital  uas  supported  by  the 
numbers,  v.'ealth,  anvl  spirit  of  a  colony  of 
veterans  ;  and  their  li  cent  ion  f.ness  was  in- 
dulged by   the  v/isest  caliphs,    wlio  were, 
apprehensive  of  provoking  the  rcvolt  of  an] 
hundred  thousand  swords  :    "Ye  men  bfl 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  131 

**  Cnfa/*  said  Ali,  who  solicited  their  aid, 
**  you  have  been  always  conspicuous  by 
*^  your  valour.  You  conquered  the  Per- 
"  siau  king,  and  scattered  his  forces,  till 
**  you  had  taken  possession  of  his  inheri- 
"tance."  This  mig-hty  conquest  was  a- 
chieved  by  the  battles  of  Jalula  and  Nehav- 
ead.  After  the  loss  of  the  former,  Yez- 
degerd  fled  from  Holwan,  and  concealed 
his  shame  and  despair  in  the  mountains 
of  Farsistan,  from  whence  Cvrus  had  de- 
scended  with  his  equal  ajid  valiant  com- 
panions. The  courage  of  the  nation  suj'- 
vived  that  of  the  monarch  ;  among  the 
hills  to  the  south  of  Ecbatana  or  Rama- 
dan, one  hundred  &:  fifty  thou  sand  Persians 
made  a  third  aiid  final  stand  for  their  relig- 
ion and  country  ;  and  the  decisive  battle 
of  Naliavend  was  styled  by  the  Arabs  tlie 
victory  of  victories.  If  it  be  true  that  the 
flj'ing  general  of  the  Persians  was  stopt 
and  overtaken  in  a  crowd  of  mules  and 
camels  laden  wifth  honey,  the  incident, 
however  slight  or  singular,  will  denote 
the  luxurious  impediments  of  an  Oriental 
army. 

The  geography  of  Persia  is  darkly  de- 
lineated by  the  Greeks  and  Latins  ;  but 
the  most  illustrious  of  her  cities  appear  ta 


132  THE  LIFE   OP  MAHOMET. 

be  more,  ancient  than  the  invasion  of  the 
Ai:.'  3.  By'tlieredactidiT  of  Hamadan 
and  Iphdian,  of  Gaswin,  T?^T:iris,  and  Rei, 
thej"grnclua!iy/firj;)fciiclie4 'l^^e  shores  of 
the  Ca^painlS'da'y^tiVthe  orators  of  Mec- 
ca nr'gh't  ap^Miid^  the' 'Sii^fcfesaiid /spirit  of 
the  fliithai?:,  ^ho  hM  A'^'^dy  lost' sight  of 
thencftiv  ;:d  had  'almost  trans- 

cerided'ti...  L:  ^....:.;.  oi  the  habifable  ^vodd. 
A  t;ain '  kii'  riir:g  f hWaf ds"  the  West  and  the 
Rornan  eiup^n'e,  %( y  repassed  the  Tigris 
c^f'^'^r:?  bridge  of  Mcsul,  and  in  the  cap- 
t:  2ncce>:(^f  Amienia  Knd  Mesopota- 

i: .  ,  ,  :^^  raced  iheir  vlctcricusiifietht  en  of 
t;: :  o  r'  iL  arniy.  Frrm  tli€ palace  of  Ma- 
d.:.^:  '  :ir  Easiern  progress  was  not  less 
rapid  or  extc  nsi^. '\  They  advruiced  a- 
long  the  Tigris  and  -he  Gulf  ;  penetrated 
through  tlie  pae,3€s  of  ihe  mountains  into 
tlie  valley  of  Estachar  or  Persepolis  ; 
and  profaned  the  last  sanctuury  of  the 
Magian  empire.  The  grandson  of  Chos- 
roes  v/as  nearly  surprised  among  the  fall- 
ing columns  and  mutilated  figures  ;  a  sad 
emblem  of  the  past  and  present  fortune  of 
Persia  ;  he  fied  with  accelerated  Iiaste  over 
the  desert  of  Kirman,  implored  the  aid  bf 
the  war-like  Segestans,  and  saught  an 
humble  reiuge  ou  the  verge  of  the  I'urkisli 


r^Z  ?.1^E,  Cf  MAHOMET.  ,  i^^S 

iind  Chinese  power.  J3 ut. a  victorlov^s  ar- 
my issensibk  of flitigue  :  the  Anibs  divi- 
ded their  forces  in  the  pursuit  of  a  timor- 
ous enemy;  and  the  caliph  of  Otlvftian 
promised  the  government  of  Chorasan  to 
the,  first  general  who  should  enter  that 
large  and  populous  country,  tlie  kingdom 
of  the  aiicient  Bactrians,  The  condition 
was  accepted  ;  the  prize  was  deserved  ; 
the  standai'd  of  '  Mahomet  was  planted  on 
the  waUs  of  Herat,  Meroii,  and  ,Balch  -;  an^d 
the  successful  leader  neither  halted"  nor  re- 
posed till  his  foamhig  cavalry  had  tasted 
the  waters  of  the  Oxus.  In  the  putjlic 
anarchy,  the  independent  governors  of  the 
cities  and  castles  cbtained  their  separate 
capitulations  :  the  terms  were  ^-^anted  or 
imposed  by  the  esteem,  the  prudence,  or 
the  compassion,  of  the  yjctbrs  ;  and  a  sim^ 
pie  profession  of  faith  established  the  dis^ 
.tinction  betvyeen  a  brother  and  a  slave.  Af- 
ter a  noble  xjefence,  Harmczan,  the  prince 
or  satrap  of  Ahwaz  and  Susa,  '  was  com- 
pelled to  surrender  his  person  and  bis  state 
to  the  discretion  of  the  caliph  ;  and  their 
interviev/  exhibits  a  portt*ait  of  the  Arabian 
manners.  In  the  presence,  and  b}^  the 
command  of  Omar,  the  gay  Barbari^i  ^vas 
despoiled  of,  his  silken  robes  cinbr<^cred 


134  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET* 

w  ith  gold,  and  of  his  tiara  bedecked  with 
rubies  and  emeralds  ;  '*  Are  you  now  sen- 
"  sible,'*  said  the  conqueror  to  his  miked 
captive  ;  **are  you  sensible  of  the  judg- 
*'mentofGod,  and  of  the  different  re- 
''  vva^ds  of  infidelity  and  obedience?*'  *'AI- 
*'  as  !"  replied  Haimozan,  **  I  feel  them 
**  two  deeply..  In  the  days  of  our  com- 
"  mon  ignorance,  we  fought  with  the  wea- 
'*  pons  of  flesh,  and  my  nation  was  supe- 
*'  rior.  God  was  then  neuter  :  since  he 
*'  has  espoused  yeur  quairel,  you  have 
*'  subverted  our  kingdom  and  religion.** 
Oppressed  by  this  painful  dialogue,  the 
Persian  com.plained  of  intolerable  thirst, 
but  discovered  some  apprehensions  lest 
he  should  be  killed  whilst  he  was  drinking 
a  cup  of  water.  '*  Be  of  good  courage,'* 
said  the  caliph,  **  your  life  is  safe  till  3'ou 
'*  have  drank  this  water  :"  the  crafty  sat- 
rap accepted  the  assurance,  and  instantly- 
dashed  the  vase  against  the  ground.  O- 
mar  would  have  avenged  the  deceit  ;  but 
his  companions  represented  the  sanctity  of 
an  oath  ;  and  the  speedy  conversion  of 
Harmozan  entitled  him  not  only  to  a  free 
pardon,  but  even  to  a  stipend  of  two  thou- 
sand pieces  of  gold.  The  administration 
of  Persia  was  regulated  by  an  actual  sur- 


THE  LIFE  OF    MAHOMET.  155 

vey  of  the  people,  the  cattle,  and  the  fruits 
of  the  earth  ;  mid  this  monument,  which 
attests  the  vigilance  of  the  caliphs,  might 
have  instructed  the  philosophers  of  every 

The  flight  of  Yezdegerd  had  carried 
him  beyond  the  Oxus,  and  as  far  as  the 
Jaxartes,  two  rivers  of  ancient  and  modern 
renown,  which  descend  from  the  moun- 
tains of  India  towards  the  Caspian  Sea. 
He  was  hospitably  entertained  by  Tark- 
han,  prince  of  Fargana,  a  fertile  province 
on  the  Jaxaftes  ;  the  king  of  Samarcand, 
with  the  Turkish  tribes  of  Sogdiana  and 
Scythia,  were  moved  by  the  lamentations 
and  promises  of  the  fallen  monarch ;  &:  he 
solicited  by  a  suppliant  embassy,  the  more 
solid  and  powerful  friendship  of  the  em- 
peror of  Ciiina.  The  virtuoas  Taitsong, 
the  first  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Tang,  may 
^e  justly  compared  with  the  Antonines  of 
Rciiie  :  his  people  enjoyed  the  blessings 
of  tranquility  and  peace  ;  and  his  domin- 
ion 'v^as  acknowledged  by  fort3'-four  liords 
of  the  Barbarians  of  Tartary.  His  last 
garrisons  of  Cashgar  and  Khoten  main- 
tained a  frequent  intercourse  with  tlieir 
neighbours  of  the  Jaxartes  and  Oxus  ;  a 
recent  colony  of  Persians  had  introduced 


I36i  THE  Ltf  E  OF  MAHOM'ET. 

into  China  the  astronomy  ofthe  ^Tagl; 
and    Tai'tsong  might  be  alarB";^d  by  the 
rapid  pre grl^ss  and  dangerous    vicinity  of* 
the  Arab's .      The  influence,  and  perhaps^ 
the  supplies,  of  China  revived  the  hope.'j  of 
l^czdegerd  and  the  seal  of  the  r\^orshippers^ 
Q?  fire  ;  and  he  returlted   7/ith  an  army  of 
Turks  to  cdnqiicr  the   inheritance  of  his 
fathers.    The  ibrtunate  Moslems,  v/idiout 
tifisheathin  g  their  swords  ^   v/erc  the  -  spec- 
tators of  hii  ruiii  and 'death.     The  grand- 
son of  Chosrocs  was  l7etrayed  ■  by  hi.i  ser- 
vant, insulted  by  the  seditious  inh:ibitant3 
of  Mcrcu,   and  oppressed',    defeated,   and 
pursued,    b^y  his    Barbarian  allies.     Ke 
readied  the  b'Vnks -of  ariver^  and  cfTtred 
iiiyriiig^'  and  b?vic«lets  for  an  in^,tant-  pas- 
sj^ige  in  a   milkTS  boat..      .%nbranr^ar  in- 
K'nsihie  of  royal  dK-:tres^,   tlie  rustic  repll-, 
ej[),  that  Tour  Jranis  of  silver -nlsre  the  dai* 
Iv^  profit  of  his  niiil^an.d^'hat  he  v/otild  not 
.suspend  his  Vvork' unless" the  loss:  rei'e  re- 
paid.    In  this  nioment'"'or  hesitation  arid 
delay,  the  last  oPthe    Skssanian  kings  v/a-* 
oreitakeh  and  slaug-htered  by  the  Turkish 
cLTvahy,  ■  in' the  nineteehth"  year(^'his  un- 
happy rei^n.      His  sun  Firuz,  an  humble 
client  of  the  C'lnitese   Emperor,  accepted 
t])fe  station  of  captain  of  his  guards  ;  and'- 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  137 

the  Magian  worship  was  long  preserved 
by  a  colony  of  loyal  exiles  in  the  province 
of  Bucliaria.  His  grandson  inherited  the 
regal  name  ;  but  after  a  faint  and  fraidess 
enterprise,  he  returned  to  China,  and  end- 
ed his  days  in  the  palace  of  Sigan.  The 
male  line  of  the  Sassanides  was  extinct ; 
but  the  female  captives,  the  daughters  of 
Persia,  were  given  to  the  conquerors  in 
servitude,  or  marriage  ;  and  the  race  of 
the  caliphs  and  imams  was  enobled  by 
the  blood  of  their  royal  mothers. 

11.  The  conquest  of  .Egypt  may  be  ex- 
plained by  the  ckaracter  of  the  victorious 
Saracen,  one  of  the  first  of  his  nation,  in 
an  age  when  the  meanest  of  the  brethren 
was  exalted  above  his  nature  by  the  spirit 
of  enthusiasm.  The  birth  of  Amrou  was 
at  on"ce  base  and  illustrious  :  his  mother,  a 
Rotorious  prostitute,  was  unable  to  decide 
among  five  of  the  Koreish  ;  but  the  proof 
of  resemblance  adjudged  the  child  to  Aasi 
the  oldest  of  her  loveis.  The  vouth  of 
Amrou  was  impelled  by  the  passions  and 
prejudices  of  his  kindred  :  his  poetic  gen- 
ius was  exercised  in  satrical  verses  against 
the  person  and  doctrines  of  Mahomet ;  his 
dexterity  was  employed  by  the  reigning 
faction  to  pursue  tlie  religious  exiles  who 
M  n 


138  THE    LIF2   CF   MAHOMET. 

had  ta-k-en.  ref-a^^;-e  in  tkc  court  of  tke  .lEdiK 
opiau  king.  Yet  he  returned  from  this 
emb:issy,  a  secret  proselyte  ;  his  reason  or 
.his-  interest  dct'ermhied  him  to  renounce 
-the  A^orship  of  idols;-  he  escaped  from 
Mecca  with  his  friend  Oaled,  and  thepro- 
piiet  t)f  Medina  enjoyed  at  tlie  sa«ie  nio- 
•n-ient  tlie  satisfr.ction  of  embracing;  tlic 
two  nrniest  con*ipanio!:is  of  his  cause..  The 
impatience  of  Amroii  to  lead  the  aimies  of 
the  iaith&ih  was  checked'  by  the  reproof  of 
0»uar,  who  advised  him  not  to>  seek  p>ow- 
Arivaiid  dorrkhiion,  since  he  who  is  a  sub- 
jrct  to-day,  may  be  a  prince  to-morrow, 
\'et  his  merit  was  not  overlook ed  by  the 
two  first  successors  of  Mahomet  r  they 
were  indebted  to  bis  arms  for  the  conquest 
,of  Palestine  ;  k  m  all  battles  and  sieges  of 
Syria,  he  united  with  the  temper  of  a 
cluef,  the  valour  of  an  adventurous  soldier. 
Ill  a  visit  to  Medina,  the  caliph  expressed 
a  wish  to  sur\'ey  the  »word  which  had  cut 
dovvn  so  many  christian  warriors  :  tlie  son 
of  Aasi  unsheathed  a  sliort  and  ordinary 
scymetar  ;^  asxd  as  he  perceived  the  snr- 
irrise  of  Om;r,  *'  Alas,*^  said  tlie  modest 
Saracen,  "  the  3 word  i-tse^f,  Vv^thout  the 
*'  arm  of  its  master,  is  neitlier  shaq7<>r  uor 
^*  more  w^urhtv  tka-i  t'lic  sword  of  Floanr-z- 


THE    Hf  E  tSF  MAHOMET, 


139 


''  d:ik  the  poet."  After  the  coiiqiiestof 
Egypt  he  w  as  recalled  Ijy  the  jealousy  of 
the  caliph  Othnian  ;  bat  hitlie  :>al>sequent 
.troubles,  the  ambition- of  a.soldkT,  a  states- 
man, and  an  orator,  emer^^ed  Ironi  a  pri- 
vate station.  His  powerful  suj)port,  both 
in  Gouncll  and  in  the  field,  established  the 
tlirone  of  the  Oinnilades  ;  the  administra- 
tion and  revenue  of  Egypt  ^vere  restored 
by  the  gratitude  of  Moawiyh  to  a  faithful 
friend  who  had  raised  himself  abcn-e  the 
i^ank  of  a  sui)ject ;  and  Amrou  ended  his 
.days  in  the  piJace  and  city  which  fee  had 
founded  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  His 
dying  speech'  to  his  children  is  celebrated 
by  the  Arabians  as  a  model  of  eloquence 
and  wisdom  ;  he  deplored  tlie  errors  of 
his  youth ;  but  if  the  penitent  was  still  in- 
fected by  the  vanity  of  a  poet,,  he  might 
exag*gerate  tlie  venom- and  mit^chief  of  bis 
impi^^us  composition. 

Frornrhls  camp, in  Palestine,, Amrou- had 
•Stirprisedor  anticipated  the  caliph'^s  leave 
for  the  invasion  of  Egypt.  The  invincible 
Omar  trusted  in  his  God  and  in  his  sword, 
which  had  shaken  the  thrones  of  Chosroes 
and  Cccsar  :  but  when  he  corrjpared  the 
slender  force  of  the  Moslems  with  the 
gi*eatnt?ss  of 'tlie  entcr]r»risej  he  condemned 


140  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET, 

his  own  rashness,   and  listened  to  his  tim- 
id companions.     The  pride  and  greatness 
of  Pharaoh  were  familiar  to  the  readers  of 
the  Koran ;  and  a  tenfold  repetition  of  pro- 
digies had  been  scarcely  sufficient  to  ef- 
fect, not    the    victory  but  the    flight,   of 
600,000  of  the  children  of  Israel  :   the  ci- 
ties of  E^ypt  were  many  and  populous  ; 
their  architecture  was  string  and  solid  ; 
the  Nile,  with  its  numerous  branches,  was 
alone  an  insuperable  barrier  ;  and  the  gra- 
nary of  the  Imperial  city  would  be  obsti- 
nately  defended   by  the  Roman  powers. 
In  this  peri^Iexity,   the  commander  of  the 
faithful  resigned  himself  to  the  decision  of 
chance,  or,  in  his  opinion,   of  providence. 
At  the  head  of  only  four  thousand  Arabs, 
the  intrepid  Ararou  had    marched  away 
from  his  station  of  Gaza  when  he  was  o- 
vertaken  by  the  messenger  of  Omar.    **  If 
**  you  are  still  in  Syria,"  said  the  ambigu- 
ous mandate,    '*  retreat   without   delay  ; 
**  but  if,  at  the  receipt  of  this  epistle,  you 
**  have  already  reached  the  frontiers  of  E- 
*'  gypt?  advance  with  confidence,  and  de- 
*•  pend  on  the  succour  of  God  and  of  your 
**  brethren. '^^     The  experience,  perhaps 
the   secret  intelligence,     of  Amrou  had 
taught  him  to  suspect  the  mutability  of 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  141 

courts  ;  and  he  continued  his  march  till 
his  tents  were  unquestionably  pitched  on 
Egyptian  ground.  He  there  assembled 
his  officers,  broke  the  seal,  perused  the 
epistle,  gravely  inquired  the*  nsme  ami 
situation  of  the  place, .  and  declared  his 
ready  obedience  to  the  commands  of  the 
caliph.  After  a  siege  of  thiily  days,  he 
took  possession  of  Farniah  or  Pclusium  ; 
and  tkit  key  of  P^pi'pt,as  it  has  been  just- 
ly named,  uTilocked  th'c;  entrance  of  the 
country ,  ias  far  as  the  ruins  of  Heliopolis 
and  the  neighbarhood  of  the  modern  Cai- 
ro. 

.  On  the  western  side  of  tha  Nile,  at  a 
small  distance  to  th-e  east  of  the  Pyramids, 
at  a  small  distance  to  the  south  of  the 
Delta,  Mc3jjplus,  one  hundred  and  fil\y 
furlongs  m  circuiTitereT\ce,  displayed  the 
inag^iac^ence  of  uncient  kings.  Under 
tae  reign  of  the  Ptolemies  and  Caesar?, 
tiie  seat  of  government  was  removed  to 
tae  sea-coast  ;  the  antient  capital  was 
eclipsed  by  the  arts  and  opulence  of  Alex- 
aiidria  ;  the  palaces,  and  at  lenp;tlv  the 
temples,  were  reduced  to  a  desolate  and 
ruinous  .condition  :  yet  in  the  at^e  of  Au- 
gustus, and  even  in  tkit  of  Constantlne, 
Memphis  was  still  numbered   aniong  tlic 


142  THE  LIFE  0?  51AH0MET, 

greatest  and  most  populous  of  tke  provin- 
cial cities.  The  banks  of  the  Nile,  in  this 
place  of  the  breadth  of  three  thousand  feet, 
were  united  by  two  twidges  of  sixty  and 
of  tliirty  boats,  connected  in  the  middle 
stream  by  the  small  island  of  Rouda, 
M-hich  was  covered  with  gaidens and  hab- 
itations. The  eastern  extremity  of  the 
bridge  was  terminated  by  the  town  of  Bab- 
ylon and  the  camp  of  a  Roman  legion, 
Wiich  protected  the  passage  of  theriver 
an  i  the  second  capital  of  Egypt.  This 
im^)ortant  fortress,  which  might  fiirly  be 
djscribedas  a  part  of  Memphis  or  Miiirah, 
was  invested  by  the  arms  of  the  lie  a  ten- 
ant of  Omar  :  a  reinforcement  of  four 
thousand  Saracens  soon  anived  in  his 
camp  ;  and  the  military  engines,  which 
battered  the  walls,  may  be  irnpuled  to  the 
art  and  labor  of  his  Syrian  allies.  Yet 
the  siege  was  protracted  to  se^xn  month?:; 
and  the  rash  invaders  were  enccrapassed 
and  threatened  by  the  inundation  of  the 
Nile.  Their  last  assault  v-as  bold  and 
successful  :  tliey  passed  the  ditch,  ^thich 
had  been  fortified  with  iron  spikes. applied 
their  scaling-ladders,  entered  tlie  fortress 
with  the  shout  of  '*  God  is  victorious  V 
and  drove  the  remnant  of  the  Greeks  to 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  143 

their  boats  and  the  isle  of  Rouda.       The 
spot  was  afterwards  recommended  to  the 
conqueror  by    the   easy    communication 
with  die  gulph  and  the  peninsula  of  Ara- 
bia :  the  remains  of  Memphis  were  de- 
serted :  the  tents  of  the  Arabs  were  con- 
verted into  permanent   habitations  ;   and 
tlie  first  mos«h   was  blessed  by  the  pres- 
ence of  fourscore  companions  of  Mahom- 
et.     A   new  city  arose  in  their  camp  on 
the  eastward  bank  of  the   Nile  ;    and  the 
contiguous  quarters  of  Babylon  and  Fos- 
tat  are  confounded  in  their  present  decay 
by  the  appellation  of  old  Misrah  or  Cairo, 
of  which  they  form  an  extensive  suburb. 
But  tlie  name  of  Cairo,  the  town  of  victo- 
ry, more  strictly  belongs  to  the  modern 
capital,  which  was   founded  in  the  tenth 
century  by  the  Fatimite  caliphs.       It  has 
gradually  receded  from  the  river,  but  the 
continuity  of  buildings  m«ay.  be  traced  by 
an  attentive  eye  from  the  monuments  of 
Sesostris  to  those  of  Saladin. 

Yet  the  Arabs,  after  a  elorious  and  prof- 
itable enterprise,  must  have  retreated  to 
the  desert,  had  they  not  found  a  powerful 
alliance  in  the  heart  of  the  country^  The 
rapid  conquest  of  Alexander  was  assisted 
by  the  superstition  and  revolt  of  the  na- 


144  T^E  XIFE-t^F  MAHOMET. 

tives  ;  they  abhorred  their  Persian  op- 
pressors, the  disciples  of  the  Magi,  ^vho 
had  burnt  the  temples  of  Egypt,  and  feast- 
ed with  sacrilegious  appetite  on  the  flesh 
of  the  god  Apis.  Alter  a  period  of  ten 
centuries  the  same  revohition  was  renew- 
ed by  a  similar  cause  :  and  in  the  support 
of  an  incomprehensible  creed,  tlie  seal  of 
Coptic  Christians  v/as  equally  ardent.  I 
have  already  explained  the  origin  and  pro- 
gress of  die  iMonophysite  controversy,  and 
the  persecution  of  the  emperors,  which 
converted  a  sect  into  a  nation,  and  alien- 
ated Egypt  from  their  religion  and  gov- 
erDment.  The  Saracens  were  received 
as  the  deliverers  of  the  Jacobite  church  ; 
and  a  secret  and  effectual  treaty  was  open- 
ed during  the  siege  of  Memphis  betweetj 
a  victorious  army  ai^d  a  people  of  slaves. 
A  rich  and  noble  Egyptian,  of  the  name 
of  Mokawkas,  had  dissembled  his  faith  to 
obtain  the  administration  of  liis  province  : 
in  the  disorders  of  the  Persian  war  he  as- 
pired to  independence  :  the  embassy  of 
Mahomet  ranked  him  among  princes; 
l)ut  he  declined,  with  rich  gifts  and  am- 
biguous compliments,  the  proposal  of  a 
new  religion.  The  abuse  of  his  tiiist  ex> 
posed  him  to  the  resentment  of  HeraQl\us';^ 


THE  LI F E  OF  K A HO*{: E T .  145 

HS  siibiTiission  was  delayed  by  arrc.ganm 
lud  fear  ;  and  liis  conscience  was  prompt- 
id  by  interest  to  throw  himself  on  the  fa- 
^'our  of  the  nation  and  support -of  the  Sar- 
acens. In  his  first  conference  with  Am- 
rou,  he  heard  without  indignation  the 
jsual  option  of  the  Koran,  the  tribute,  or 
he  sword.  **The  Greeks,''  replied, 
'  Mokawkas,  *' are  determined  to  abide 
"the  determination  of  the   sword;    but 

*  with  the  Greeks  I  desire  no   communi- 

*  cation,  either  in  this  world  or  in  the  next, 
=*  and  I  abjure  forever  the  Byzantine  t^*"- 
'*  rant,  his  synod  of  Chalcedon,  and  his 
**  Melchite  slaves.  For  myself  and  my 
**  brethren,  we  are  resolved  to  live  and 
"  die  in  the  profession  of  the  gospel  and 
**  unity  of  Christ,  It  is  impossible  for  us 
*^  to  eriibrace  the  revelations  of  your 
**  prophet ;  but  wx  are  desirous  of  peace, 
"  and  cheerfully  submit  to  pay  tribute 
**  and  obedience  to  his  temporal  succes* 
<*  sors.*'  The  tribute  was  ascertained  at 
two  pieces  of  gold  for  the  head  of  everj? 
Christian  ;  but  old  men,  monks,  women^ 
and  children,  of  both  sexes,  under  sixteen 
years  of  age,  were  exempted  from  this 
personal  assessment ;  the  Copts  abov^ 
and  below  Memphis  siwore  allegiance  to 

N 


146  THE   LIPE  OF  MAHOMET. 

the  caliph,  and  promised  an  hospitable  en-. 
tertainment  of  tliree  days  to  every  Mussul- 
man who  should  travel  through  their  coun- 
try. By  this  charter  of  socurity,  the  ec- 
,clesiastical  arid  civil  tyranny  of  the  Melch^- 
ites  was  destroyed  :  the  anathemas  of  Sf^ 
Cyril  were  thundered  from  Jtvcry  pulpit ; 
and  the  sacred  edifices,  with  the  patrimo- 
ny of  the  Church,  were  restored  to  the 
national  communion  of  the  Jacobites,  who 
enjoyed  without  moderation  the  moment  of 
triumph  &  revenge.  At  the  pressing  sum- 
monsof Amrou, their  patriarchBenjamin  em  t 
ergedfrom  his  desert;  and,after  the  first  in- 
terview, the  courteous  Arab  affected  to  de- 
clare, that  he  had  never  conversed  wi^ 
a  Christian  priest  of  more  innocent  man- 
ners and  a  more  venerable  aspect.  In  th^ 
march  from  Memphis  to  Alexandria  the 
lieutenant  of  Omar  entrusted  his  safety  to 
the  zeal  and  gi'atitude  of  the  Eg}^ptians  : 
the  roads  and  bridges  were  diligently  re- 
paired ;  and  in  every  step  of  his  progress, 
he  could  depend  on  a  constant  supply  of 
provisions  and  intelligence.  The  Greeks 
of  Eg}'pt.  whose  numbers  could  scarcely 
equal  a  tenth  of  the  natives,  were  over- 
w^helmed  by  the  universal  defection  ;  they 
fvid  ever  been  hated,  the  were  n,o  longer 


T»E  tlTE  0F  MAHOMET.  147 

feared  :  the  magistrate  fled  from  his  tribu- 
nal, the  bishop  from  his  uitar ;  and  the  dis- 
tant garrisons  were  surprised  or  staived 
by  the  surrounding  multitudes.  Had  not 
tlie  Nile  afforded  a  sale  and  ready  convey »• 
ance  to  the  sea,  not  an  individual  could ' 
have  escaped,  who  by  birth,  or  language, 
or  office,  or  religion,  was  connected  with 
their  odicHis  name. 

By  the  retreat  of  the  Greeks  from  the 
provinces  of  Upper  Egypt,  a  coasidera- 
ble  force  was  collected  in  the  Island  of  Dei-' 
ta  :  the  natund  and  artificial  tl^annels  of 
the  Nile  afibrdcd  a  succesision  of  strong 
and  defensible  posts  ;  and  the  road  to  Ai  - 
exandria  was  laboriously  cleared  by  the 
victory  of  the  Saracens  in  two  and  twenty 
days  of  general  or  partial  combat.  in 
thlir  annals  of  conquest,  the  siege  of  Al- 
exandria is  perhaps  the  most  arduous  and 
important  enterprise.  The  first  trading 
city  in  the  world  was  abundantly  replen- 
iished  with  the  means  of  subsistence  and 
defence.-  Her  numerous  inlmbitaiUs  fought 
for  the  dearest  of  human  rights,  religion 
2.nd  property  ;  and  the  eiimity  of  the  na- 
tives seemed  to  exclude  them  from  the 
eommon  benefit  of  peace  and  toleration. 
The  sea  was   continually   open  ;  and  if 


148;  Ijljbjl  lilFE  OF  *f  AKOMEl'. 

HeracliQus  had  beta  awai:e  to  the  public 
distress,  fresh  armks  of  Romans  and  Bar- 
barians might  have  been  poured  into  the 
haibciip  to  isave   the  stcoiid  (•apital  cf  the 
empire.      A  circurflference  of  ten  rniles 
;voukl  have  scattered    lb,e  forces  ef  ti}e 
.Greeks  and  fovctirrd  ■  h^  stratagems  of  an- 
active  eii^my  ;  but  the  two  side^j  ofr;]n  cb- 
iciirr  eqi.are  were    covered  by  the  sea  arid- 
trie  lake  Mavcieotis,  and  ecichof  therarrow 
ends  ex|:csed  a  front  of  no   more  than  ten 
fiirlongi^.      The  efibrts  of  ihe  Arabs  v  ere 
not  iaadequatf^  to  the  diflicuky  ci  ibe  at- 
tempt hV-d  the  va-ue  of  the  pr.^f...      From 
the  throne    ofMtdii:a,   ti;eeyescf  Cniar 
were  i^xed  onthe  o^imp  ajidcxty  :  his  voice 
excited  to   aiw8   the  Arabian    tribes  ?nd 
the  veterans  of  Syria  ;   and  the  merit  of  an 
holy  ^vvar  vra^r  reconitn ended  by  the  pecii- 
har  fame  and  fertility  of  Egypt,     Anxious 
for  the.  ruin  or  expii<sio.n  of  their  tyrants^ 
ib^  faithful  natives  devoted  theit*  iaboars 
to  the  service  oi'Amrcu  ;  homt  spark's  of 
roarshal  spirit  were   perhaps  rekindled  by 
die  ex  an:  ph  of  their  aHies  ;   and  the  san- 
p;aine  h^opes  cf  Mokav/ka"   had  iixed  his 
sepulchre  in  tho  church  of  St.  John  of  Al- 
exandria.     Eutychlus  the  patriarch  ob- 
serves, that  the  'Saracens  fcugh.t  with'  the 


THE  LIFE   OF  M^AHC^MET.  149 

courage  of  lions  ;    they  repulsed   the  fre- 
quent and  almost  daily  sallies  of  the  be- 
sieged, and  soon  assaulted  in  their  turn 
the  walls  and  towers  of  the  city.    In  every 
attack, the  sword  the  banner  oiAmroUjglit' 
tered  in  the  van  of  the  Moslems.  On  a  memo- 
rable day,  he  was  betrayed  by  his  impru- 
dent valour  :  his  followers  who  had  enter- 
ed the  citadel  were  driven  back  ;    and  the 
general  with  a  friend  and  a  slave,  remain- 
ed a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the   Christ- 
ians.    When  Amrou  was  conducted  be- 
fore the  praefect,   he  remembered  his  dig- 
nity and  forgot  his  situation ;  a  lofty  de,- 
meanour,  and  resolute  language,  revealed 
the  lieutenant  of  the  caliph,  and'the  battle- 
axe   of  a  soldier  was  already   raised  to 
strike  off  the  head  of  his  audacious  cap- 
tive.    His  life  was  saved  by  the  readiness 
of  his  slave,  who  instantly  gave  his  mas- 
ter a  blow  on  th€  fiicCy  and  commanded 
him,  with  an  angry  tone,   to  be   silent  in 
the  presence  of  his  superiors.  The  credu- 
lousGreek  was  dieceived;  he  listened  to  the 
offer  of  a  treaty,and  his  prisoners  were  dis- 
missed in  the  hope  of  a   more  respectable 
embassy,  till  the  joyful  acclamations  of  the 
camp  announced  the  return  of  their  gene- 
^ral,  and  insulted  the  folly  of  the  infidels. 

N  :j 


I5O  THE   LI F E.  GF  M A H;0 M E T. 

At  length, after. a  siege  of  fourteen  monthsj, . 
and  the  loss  ofthree.and  tv.enty  thousand 
rneu,  the  Saracens  prevailed  :   the  Greeks  , 
^mborked  their  dispirited  and  diminished  • 
numbers,  and  the  standard  of  Mahomet' 
'V^'as  planted  on  tlirO   walls  of  thc^  capjtal  of 
Egypt.     *'  I  have  taken,"  said  Amrou  to  . 
the  caliph,   **  the  great  city  of  .the  Westo 
* '  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  enumerate  die 
\*  y%*^iy  t>f  its  riches  and  beauty  ; ,  and  I 
**  sjiali  content  myself  with  observing,  that 
**  it  contains  four  thousand  palaces,  four 
**  thousand  baths,   four  thousand  theatres 
•**  or  places  of  amusement,,  twelve  thou- 
**  sajid  shops  for  the  sale  of  vegetable  food, 
"  and    forty    thousand    tributary    Jewso 
•*  The  town  has  been   subdued  by  force 
*^  of  arms,  without  treaty  or  capitulation, 
*'  and  the  Moslems  are.  impatient  to  seize 
'*  the  fruits  of  their  victory.'*     The  cbm-^ 
mander  of  the  faithful  rejected  with  firm- 
ness  the  Idea  of  pillage,  and  directed  his 
lieutenant  to  reserve  the  wealth  and  reven- 
ue of  Alexandria   for  the  public  service 
and  the  propagation  of  the  faith:  the  inhabi- 
tants were  numbered  ;    a  tribute  was  im- 
posed ;  the  seal  and  resentment  of  the  Ja- 
cobites were   curbed,   and  the  Melchites 
who  submitted  to  tlie  Arabian,  yoke,  w«re 


indulged  in  the  obscure  but  tranquil  ex^ 
ercise  of  their  worsiiip.     The  iatelhgence 
of  this   disgraceful  and   calamitous   event 
afflicted  the  dechning  health  of  the  empe- 
ror ;   and  Heraciious  died  of  a  dropsy  a- 
bout  seven  weeks  after  the  loss  of  Alex- 
andria.   Under  the  mmority  of  his  grand- 
son, the  clamours  of  a  people,  deprived  of 
their  daily  sustenance,   compelled  the  By- 
zantine court  to  undertake  the  recovery  of 
the  capital  of  Egypt.   In  the  space  of  four 
years,    the   liarbour  and   fortifications  of 
Alexandria  were  twice  occupied  by  a  fleet 
and  army  of  Romans.      They  were  twice 
expelled   by  the  valour  of  Amrou,   who 
was  recalled  by  the  domestic  peril  from 
the  distant  wars  of  Tripoli  and  Nubia. 
But  the   facility  of  the  attempt,  the  repe- 
tition of  the  insult,   and  the  obstinacy   of 
.  the  resistance,  provoked  him  to  swear,  that 
if  a  third  time  he  drove  the  infidels  into 
the  sea,he  would  render  Alexandria  as  ac- 
cessible  on  all   sides  as  the   house   of  a 
prostitute.      Faithful  to  his  promise,   he 
dismantled  several  parts  of  the  walls  and 
towers,  but  the  people  were  spared  in  the 
chastisement  of  the  city,  and  the  mosch  of 
Mercy  was  erected  on  the   spot  where  the. 
^  v,ictorious  general  had  stopped  the  fury  of 
his  troops. 


152-  THE  LITE  OF  M'AHDMET. 

rV.  The  conquest  of  Africa,  from  the 
Nile  to  the  Atlantic  ocean,  was  first  at- 
tempted by  the  arms  of  the  caliphOthman,. 
The  pious  desii^H  was  approved  by  the 
Gompanions  of  Mahomet  and' the  chiefs  of 
the  tribes ;  and-  twenty  thousand  Arabs 
marched- froni  Medina,  with  the  gifts  and.- 
the  blessing  of  the  commander  of  the 
faithful.  They  were  joined  in  the  camp- 
of  Memphis  by  twenty  thousand  of  their 
country  men  ;  and  the  conduct  of  the  war 
was  entrusted  to  Abdhllah,  the  son  of  Said 
and  the  foster  brother  of  the  caliph,  \\  ho 
had-  lately  supplanted  the  conqueror  and 
lieutenant  of  Egypt..  Yet  the  favour  of 
the  prince,  and  the  merit  of  ;.his  favourite^ 
could  not  obliterate  the  guilt  of  his  aposta- 
cy.  The  early  conversion  of  Abdallah^ 
and  his  s-kilful  pen,  had  recommended  him 
to  the  important  office  of  transcribing  the 
sheets  of  the  Koran;  he  betrayed  his  trust, 
corrupted  the  text,  derided  the  errors 
which  he  had  made,  and  fled  to  Mecca  to 
escape  the  justice,  and  expose  the  igno- 
ranee,  of  the  apostle.  After  the  conquest 
of  Mecca,  he  fell  prostrate  attlve  feet  of 
Mahomet  ;  his  tears,  and  the  entreaties  of 
Othman,  extorted  a  reluctant  pardon  ;  but 
tiie  prophet  declared  that  he  had  so  long 


THE   LIf  £  OF    MAHOMET.  153 

Jiesitated,  to  cillow  tiine  for  Gome  zealoiis 
disciple  to  avenge  hij^  injury  in  the  blocd 
of  the  apostate.  "VVith  apparent  fidelity 
and  effective  merit,  he  seized  the  idigign 
which  it  was  no  longer  his  interest  to  dis- 
sert ;  his  birth  F,nd  talents  gave  him  an 
honourable  rank  anion[^  the  Koreish  -,  and, 
in  a  natA<^.n  of  cavuhy,  Abdallah  was  re- 
rowned  as  the  bo!de:>t  and  moot  dexterous 
hoise-^nian  oi  Arc  bia.  At  the  H  ad  of  forty 
tho(.i:!cind  Mcslunfi,  he  advj^nctd  fn^m  li- 
^ypt  into  iLe  i:3;l;ncv.n  cciintrits  of  the 
West.  1  he  sands  of  Barca  mifdit  be  im- 
pervious to  a  Roman  legiqn  ;  but  the  A- 
rabs  were  attended  by  theijf  faiihiul  cara- 
ds  ;  and  the  natives  of  tl^  desert  behejU 
without  terror  the  familiar  aspect  of  tb.e 
scibaad.  clirnste.  After  a  paii^ful  march, 
they  pitched  thtlr  tcnta  besqre  the  walls 
of  Tripoli^  a  maritime  city,  in.  which  tlie 
name,  the  wealth,  and  the  irihabitaiitSj  of 
the  province  had^'gradualiy  centered,  and 
W'hich  E.ow  maintains  the  tliird  rank  a- 
hiong  the  states  cf  Bai'bary.  A  reinforce- 
ment  of  the  Greeks  was  snprised  and  cut 
in  pieces  on  the  sea- shore  ;  bnt  the  fortifi- 
cations of  Tripoli  resisted  the  first  assaults^ 
and  the  Saracens  were  tempted  by  the  ap- 
proach of  the  prsefect  Gregory  to  relirv- 


154  THE  riTE  OP  MAHOMET. 

quish  the  labou-rs  of  the  siege  for  the  per = 
jls  and  the  hopes  of  a  decisive  action. 
If  his  standard  w  as  followed  by  one  hun- 
dred  and  twenty  thousand  men,  the  regu. 
lar  bands  of  the  empire  mtist  have  been  los 
in  the  naked  and  disorderly  crowd  of  Afri 
cans  and  iMoors,^who  formed  the  strength 
or  rather  the  nunibers,.  01  his  host.  He 
rt  jected  w  ith  indignation  the  ofjtion  of  the 
Koran  or  the  tribute  r  and  during  several 
days,  thetwo  arn'iies  v/ere  fiercely  engag- 
ed from  the  dawn  of  light  to  the  hour  0 
noon,  when  their  fatigue  and  ^e  excessive 
heat  compelled  them  to  seek  ^bjlter  ant 
refreshment  in  their  rcspeetive  camps 
The  daughter  of  Gregory,  a  maid  of  in- 
Gomparab'e  beauty  and  spirit,  is  said  tc 
have  fought  ly  his  side  :  from  her  earlie:^^ 
youth  she  was-trained  t(>  wieid-tht  xc:y^ie- 
tar  ;  and  the  richaess  of-  her  arm*  and  ap. 
parel^v/as  conspicuous  in  the  forcuio^l 
ranks  of  the  battle.  Her  hand,  witKar 
hundred  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  was  of^ 
k'ttd  for  the  head- of  the  Arabian  General: 
and'the  youths  of  Africa  \^ere  excited  by 
the  prospect  of  the  glorious  prize.  At  th.c 
pressing  s<5iici?atiOns  ofhis  brethren,  Ab- 
d^ill  ih  withdrew  h>s  person  from- the  field* 
but  the  Saracens  were  disccun;ged= By  the 


THS  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  155 

retreatof  their  leader,  and  the  repetitioa 
fOf  these  equal  or  unsuccessful  conflicts. 
**_^A  noble  Arabian,  who  afterwards  be- 
came the  adver^saiy  rS  All  and  the  father 
of  a  caliph,  had  signalized  his  value  in  E- 
"j^ypt,  and  Zobier  was  the  first  who  plant- 
xd  a  scaling-ladder  against  the  walls  of 
Babylon.  In  the  African  war  he  was  de- 
tached from  the  stcUidard  of  Abdallah.  On 
the  news  of  the  batde,  Zobier,  with  twelve 
..companions,  cut  his  way  through  the  camp 
of  the  Greeks,  im^  pressed  forwards,  with^ 
out  tasting  either  food  or  repose,  to  par- 
take of  the  dangers  of  his  brethren.  He 
cist  his  eyes  Eound  the  .field  :  *'  Where,'' 
said  he,  **  is  our  General  ?"  *'  In  his 
**  tent.*'  **  Is  the  tent  a  station  for  the 
*'  general  of  the  Moslems  ?"  Abdallah 
represented  with  a  blush  the  importance  of 
hkoi^Ti  life,  and  the  temptation  that  was 
held  forth  by  the  Roman  prasfect.  **  Re- 
•*  tort,'^  said  Zobier,  <*  on  the  infidels 
**.  their  ungenerous  attempt.  Proclaim 
**  through  the  i;anks,  that  the  head  of  Gre- 
'*  gory  shall  be  repaid  with  his  captive 
*^  daughter,  and  the  equal  sum  of  one 
*  ^  hundi  ed  thousand  pieces  of  gold*  * '  To 
the  courage  and  discretion  of  Zobier  the 
Ifc^^tenant  of  the  caliph  entrusted  the  cxe- 


I56  THE'tlfE  OF"  ^fAROMET. 

ciition  of  his  own  stratagem,  v/hich  incliri- 
ed  the  long-disputed  balance  in  the  favour 
of  the  Saracens,  Supplying  by  activity 
and  artifice  the  deficiency  of  numbers,  a 
part  of  their  forces  lay  concealed  in  their 
tents,  while  the  remainder  prolonged  an' 
irregular  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  til!  the 
sun  was  high  in  the  heavens.  On  both 
sides  they  retired  with  fainting  steps:  their 
horses  Were  unbridled,  their  armour  w^as 
laid  aside,  and  the  hostile  nations  prepar- 
ed, or  seemed  to  prepare,  for  the  refresh- 
ment of  the  evening,  and  the  encounter  of 
the  ensuing  day.  On  a  sudden,  the  charge 
was  sounded  ;  the  Arabian  camp  poured 
forth  a  swarm  of  fresh  and  intrepid  war- 
riors *,  and  the  long  line  of  the  Greeks  and 
Africans  was  surprised,  assaulted,  over- 
turned, by  new  squadrons  of  the  faithful, 
who,  to  the  eye  of  fanaticism,  might  ap*. 
pear  as  a  band  of  angels  descending  from 
the  sky.  The  pr affect  himself  was  slain 
by  the  hand  ofZobier  :  his  daughter  who 
sought  revenge  and  death,  v/as  surround- 
ed and  made  prisoner ;  and  the  fugitives' 
involved  in  their  disastelr  the  town  of  Su- 
fetula,  to  which  they  escaped  from  the  sa- 
bles arid  iances  of  the  Arabs.  Sufetula 
W2l9  built  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to 


TH-E  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  I57 

^the  south  of  C^thage  :   a  gentle  declivity 
is  watered  by  a  running  stream,  and  shad 
edby   a  grove  of  juniper  trees  ;   and,  in 
the  mips  of  a  triumphal  arch,    a  portico^ 
and  three  temples  of  the  corinthian  order. 

*  curiosity  may  yet  admire  the  m-igniiicencc 
©fthe  Rpmans.     After  the  fall  of  this  op- 

•  '^ient  city,  the  j^ovincials  and  Barbarians 
implored  on  all  sides  the  mercy  of  the  con- 
queror.    His  vanity  or  his  z.eal  might  be 

, "flattered  by  offers  of  tribute  or  professions 

'of  faith  :  but  his  losses,  his. fatigues,  jmd 

"the  progress  of  an  epidemical  disease,  prc- 

■  rented  a  solid  establishment ;  and  the  Sar- 

■'^ens,  after  a  campaign  of  fifteen  months, 

retreated  to  the  confines  of  Egypt,   with 

the  captives  and  the  wealth  of  their  Afri- 

call  expedition.       The  caliph's  fifth  was 

gfaated,  to  a    favorite  on  the  nomiaal  pay 

ment  of  500,000  pieces  of  gold;  but  the 

state  v/as  doabiy  injured  by  this  failacioup 

'  transaction-,  if  each  foot- soldier  ,had  shared 

one   thousand,  and  each  horsenirtfi  three 

tfiousand,  pieces/ in  the  real  division  of  the 

'  plu nder.  The  author  of  the  death  of  Grc- 

gory  was   expected  tg  have  claimed  the 

most  precious  reward  of  :the  victory. :  from 

his  silence  it  might  be-  ^t^somcd  that  he 

■  N 


I58  THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET. 

J-adtallen  in  the  battle,  till  the  tears  and  ex 
damations  of  the  praefect's  daughter  at  th 
sight  of  Zobeir  revealed  the  value  an 
modesty  cf  that  gallant  soldier.  The  ur 
fortunate  virgin  was  olTered,  and  almoi 
rejected  as  a  slave,  and  her  father's  mu: 
derer,  "who  cooly  declared  that  his  swor 
V  as  consecrated  to  the  service  of  religion 
and  that  he  laboured  for  a  recompence  fj 
above  the  charms  of  mortal  beauty,  or  tli 
riches  of  this  transitory  life.  A  rewar 
congenial  to  his  temper^  was  the  honouK 
ble  commission  of  announcing  to  the  ci 
liph  Othman  the  success  of  his  arms,  Th 
companions,  the  chiefs,  and  the  peopl< 
were  assembled  in  tk^  mosch  of  Medin 
to  hear  the  interestesting  narrative  ofZ( 
beir  ;  and,  as  the  orator  forgot  nothin-g  e2 
cept  the  merit  jof  his  own  counsels  cu.d  a( 
tions,  the  name  of  Abdailah  waa  joine 
by  the  Arabians  with  the  heroic  iiames  < 
Caled  aiid  Amrou. 

The  western  conquests  of  the  Sarac^r 
were  suspended  near  tr,^  cnty  years,  t. 
their  dissentions  were  composed  by  t] 
establishment  of  the  house  of  Ommiyah 
xind  the  caliph  Moa^viyah  was  invited  k 
the  cries  of  the  Africans  themselves.  Ti 


THE   LIFE   OF  MAHOMET.  i^y 

successors  of  HeracUiis  had  been  informed 
pfthe  tribute  trhich  they  had  been  com- 
pelled to  stipulate  with  the  Arabs  ;  but 
instead  of  being  moved  to  pity  and  relieve 
their  distress,  they  imposed,  as  an*  equiv- 
alent or  a  fine,  a  second  tribute  of  a  simi- 
lar amount.  The  ears  of  the  By2:antine 
ministers  were  shut  against  the  complaints 
of  their  poverty  and  ruin  r  their  despair 
was  reduced  to  prefer  the  dominion  of  a 
single  master  ;  and  the  extortions  of  the 
patriarch  of  Cai'thage,  who  was  invested 
with  civil  and  miiitaiy  power,,  provoked 
the  sectaries,  and  even  the  Catholicts,  of 
the  Roman  province  to  abjure  the  religion 
as  well  as  the  authority  of  their  tyrants. 
The  first  lieutenant  of  IVToawiyah  acquired 
a  just  renown-,  subdued  an  important  ci- 
ty, defeated  an  army  of  thirty  thousand 
Gi-eeks,  swept  away  four  score  thousand 
captives,  and  enriched  with  their  spoils 
the  bold  adventurers  of  Syria  and  Egypt. 
But  the  title  of  conquer  of  Africa  is  more 
justly  due  to  his  successor  Akbah.  He 
marched  from  Damascus  at  the  head  of  10^ 
000  of  the  bravest  Arabs:  and  the  genuine- 
force  of  the  Moslems  vvas  enlarged  by  the 
doubtful. aid  and  couversioii  of  many  thoui- 


160  THE   LIFE   OF  MA-HOMETc 

sand  Barbarians.  It  would  be  difficult, 
Mor  is  it  necessary,  to  trace  the  accurate 
line  of  the  progress  of  Akbah.  The  in- 
rerrior  regions  have  been  peopled  by  the 
Orientals  with  fictitious  armies  and  imag- 
inary citidels.  In  the  wariike  province  of 
Zab  or  Nuniidia,  four  score  thousand  of 
the  natives  might  assemble  inarms;  brt 
t'he  number  of  three  hundred  and  sixty 
town^  is  incompatabie  with  the  ignorance 
or  decay  of  husbandry  ;  and  a  circumfer- 
eace  of  three  leagues  will  be  justified  by 
the  ruins  of  Erbe  or  Lambesa,  the  antient 
metropohs  cf  that  island  country.  As  we 
approach  near  tliQ  sea-coast,  the  welU 
known  cities  of  Bugia  and  Tangier  define 
the  more  certain  limits  of  the  Saracen  vic- 
tories. A  remnant  of  trade  still  adheres 
to  the  commodious  harbour  of  Bugia, 
which  in  a  more  prosperous  age,  is  said 
to  have  contained  about  twenty  thousand 
houses  ;  and  the  plenty  of  iron  which  is 
dug  from  the  adjacent  mountains  might 
have  supplied  a  braver  people  Vv-iththe  in- 
s-truments  of  defence.  The  remote  po- 
sition and  venerable  antiquity  of  Ting i,  or 
Tangier,  have  been  decorated  by  the 
Greek  and  Arabian  fables  ;    but  the  figur- 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET*  161 

ative  eKpressiens  of  the  latter,  that  the 
walls  were  constructed  of  brass,  and  tha^ 
the  roofe  were  CQvered  with  gold  and  sil- 
ver, may  be  interpreted  as  the  emblems 
of  strength  and  opulence.  Tlie  province 
of  Mauritania  Tingitana,  which  assumed 
the  name  of  the  capital,  had  been  imper- 
fectly discovered  and  settled  by  the  Ro- 
mans J  the  five  colonies  v/ere  confined  to 
a  naiTOW  pale,  and  the  more  soutliern parts 
were  seldom  e5q:)lored  except  by  th'^  ar 
gents  €)f  luxury,  who  searched  the  forests 
for  ivoiy  and  the  citron  wood,  Sc  the  shores 
of  the  ocean  for  the  purple  shell-fish.  The 
fearless  Akbali  plunged  into  the  heart  of 
the  country,  traversed  the  wilderness  in 
which  his  successors  erected  the  splend- 
id'capitals  of  Fez  and  Morocco,  and  at 
length  penetrated  to  the  verge  of  the  At- 
lantic and  the  great  desert.  The  river 
Sus  descends  from  the  y/esterri  sides  of 
mount  Atlas,  fertilises,  like  the  Nile,  the 
adjacent  soil,  and  falls  into  the  sea  at  a 
moderate  distance  from  the  Canary,  or 
Eortunate,,  Islands.  Its, banks  were  in- 
habited by  the  last  of  the  Moors,  a  race  of 
savagesy  without  laws,  or  discipline,  or  re- 
ligion :     they    were    astonished  By  tfie 


i62  THE   LIFE  ©F  MAHOMET. 

Strange  and  irresistablc  terrors  of  the  Or- 
iental arms;  and  as  they  possessed  neither 
gold  nor  silver,  the  richest  spoil  was  the 
beauty  of  the  female  captives,  some  ol 
whom  were  afterwards  sold  for  a  thous- 
and pieces  of  gpld".  Tlie  career,  though 
not  the  zeal  of  Akbah  was  checked  by  the 
prospect  of  a  boundless  ocean.  He  spur^ 
red  his  horse  into  the  waves,  and  raising 
his  eye  to  heaven,  exclaimed  M'ith  a  tone 
of  a  fanatic  :  '*  Great  God  !  if  my  course 
* '  were  not  stopped  by  this  sea,,  I  would 
""  still  go  on,  to  the  unkno\Mi  kingdoms 
'*  of  the  West,  preaching  the  unity  of  thy 
**  holy  name,  and  putting  to  the  sword 
**  the  rebellious  nations,  who  v/orship  an}) 
"  other  gods  them  thee."  Yet  this  Ma- 
hometan  Alexander,  who:  sighed  for  the 
new  worlds,  was  unable  to  preserve  his 
recent  conquests.  By  the  universal  de- 
fection of  the  Greeks  and  Africans,  he  wa* 
recalled  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  the  surrounding  multitudes  left  him 
only  the  resource  of  an  honourable  death; 
The  last  scene  was  dignified  by  an  exam- 
ple of  national  virtue.  An  ambitious 
chief,  w^ho  had  disputed  the  command 
aind  failed  in  the  attempt,  was  led  about  a^ 


THE  LIFX  OF  MAHOMET.  16^ 

a  prisoner  in  the  camp  of  the  Arabian  gen- 
eral. The  insurgents  had  trusted  to  his 
discontent  and  revenge.;  he  disdained 
the'ir  offers  and  revealed  their  designs.  In 
the  hour  of  danger,  the  grateful  Akbah 
unlocked  his  fetters,  and  advised  him  to 
retire  ;  he  chose  to  die  ^nder  the  banner 
of  his  rivaL  Embracing  as  friends  and 
martyrs,  they  unsheathed  their  scymetars, 
broke  their  scabbards,  and  maintained  an 
obstinnte  coml>at^  till  they  fell  by  eacli  o< 
ther's  side  on  the  last  of  their  slaughtered 
countrymen.  The  third  :gencral  or  gov- 
ernor of  Africa,  Zuheir,  avenged  and  en- 
countered the  fate  of  his  predecessor.  He 
vanquished  the  natives  in  many  batdes  ; 
lie  v/as  ov^rthrcviii  by  a  powerful  army, 
'^'hich  Constantinople  had  sent  to  the  re- 
' lief  of  Carthage^ 

It  has  been  the  frequent  practice  of  the 
Moorish  tribes  to  join  the  invaders,  to 
shaie  the  plunder,  to  profess  the  faith,aud 
to  revolt  to  their  savage  state  of  indepen- 
dence and  idolatry,  on  the  first  retreat  or 
misfortune  of  the  Moslems.  The  pru- 
dence of  Akbah  had  proposed  to  found  an 
Arabian'  colony  in  the  heart  of  Africa  ;  a 
cUider    that     might     curb    the     levity 


of  the  Barbarians,  a  place  ©f  refuge 
to  secure  against  the  accidents  of  war,  the 
wealth  and  the  families  of  the  Saratens. 
With  this  view,  and  iinder  the  modest  ti- 
tle of  the  station  of  a  caravan,  he  planted 
this  colony  in  the  fiftieth  year  '  of  the  Ile- 
gira.  In  its  present  decay,  Cairoail  still 
holds  the  second  rank  in  the  kingdom  of 
Tunis,  from  which  it  is  distant  iibout  fifty 
miies  to  the  south;  its  inland  situation, 
twelve  miles  vvcstward  of  tiie  sea.  has  pro- 
tected die  city  from  the  Greek  and  Sicilian 
fleets.  When  the  wikl  beasts  and  serpents 
werc  extripated,  when  the  forest,  or  rath- 
er wilderness,  was  cleai*ed,  the  vestiges 
^f  a  Koman  town  were  'discovered  in  a 
sandy  plain:  the  vegetable  food  of  Cai- 
roan  is  brought  from  afar;  ai^d  the  scaixi- 
ty  of  springs  ccnsti*ains  the  inhabitants  to 
collect  in  cisterns  and  reservoirs  a  precari- 
ous supply  of  rain-v/ater.  These  obstacles 
were  subdued  by  the  industiy  of  Akbah ; 
he  traced  a  circumference  of  three  thou- 
sand and  six  hundred  paces,  which  he  en- 
compassed  %vith  a  brick  wall ;  in  the  space 
of  five  years,  the  governor's  palace  wt.s 
surromided  with  a  £\ifficient  number  of 
private  habitations  i  a  spacious  rt^cpcK  was 


JXHE  LlfEOF    MAHOMET. 


1.65 


??upported  by  five  hundred  columns  of 
granite,  porphyry,  and  Numidian  marble; 
aiid  Carioan  became  the  seat  of  learning  as 
well  as  of  empire.  Bat  these  were  the 
glories  of  a  later  age  ;  the  new  cclony  was 
shaken  by  the  successive  defeats  of  Akbah 
and  Zuheir,  and  the  western  ^xpedidons 
were  again  interrupted  by  the  civil  discord 
of  the  Arabian  monarchy.  The  son  of  the 
valiant  Zobeir  maintained  a  war  of  twelve 
years,  a  siege  cf  seven  months  against  the 
lipase  of  Ommiyah.  Abdallah  was  said 
t^  unite  the  fierceness  of  the  lion  with  the 
subtlety  of  the  fox  ;  but  if  he  inherited  the 
courage,  he  was^devoid  of  the  generosity, 
of  his  tather. 

The  return  of  domestic  peace  allowed 
the  caliph  Abdahnalek  to  resume  the  con- 
quest of  Africa  ;  the  standard  v/as  deliver- 
ed to  Hassan  governor  of  Egypt,  and  the 
revenue  of  that  kingdom,  with  an  army  of 
forty  thousand  men,  was  consecrated  to 
the  important  service.  In  the  vicissitudes 
of  war,  the  interior  provinces  had  been  al- 
ternately v/on  and  lost  by  the  Siu*acens. 
But  the  sea-coast  still  remained  in  the 
hands  of  the  Greeks  ;  the  predecessors  ot 
Hassan  had  respected  the  name  and  forti- 
O 


166  THE  LIFE   OF  MAHOM£T.. 

fications  cf  Carthage  ;  and  the  nimiberof 
defenclero  was  recruited  by  the  fugitives 
of  Ca;:=e3  ?j:  Tripoli.  The  arms  of  Hassan 
were  bolder  and  more  fortunate  :  he  redu- 
ced and  pilla^red  the  metropohs  of  Africa; 
and  the  nfientiou  of  scaling'dad  ierr,  may 
iustify  the  su  picioii  ihat  he  an  icipated, 
by  a  sudden  aiisault,  the  rnore  tedious  op- 
erations cf  a  regular  &.iege.  But  the  joy 
of  the  conquerors  was  scon  di^tirbcd  by 
the  appearance  of  the  Christian  succcurs.. 
The  preefect  aiKi  patrician  John  a  gener- 
^al  of  experience  and  renown,  embaiked  at 
^Constantinople  the  forces  of  the  Eastern 
empire  ;  ^ they  \veTe  joined  by  the  ships 
and  soldiers  of  Sicily,  and  a  powerful  rein- 
forcement of  Goths  was  c^tained  from  the 
fears  and  religion  of  the  Spanish  monarchc 
The  weight  of  the  confederate  navy  brokp 
the  chain  that  guarded  the  entrance  of  the 
harbour ;  the  Arabs  retired  to  Cairoan,  or 
Tripoli ;  the  Christians  landed  ;  the  citi- 
zens hailed  the  ensign  of  the  cross,  and 
the  winter  was  idly  wasted  in  the  dream  of 
victor)^  or  deliverance.  But  Africa  was  ir^ 
recoverably  lost:  the  Zealand  resentment  of 
the  commander  of  the  faithful  prepared  in 
the  ensuing  sprinq"  a  more   numerous  ar- 


THE   LIFE  OF  MAHOMET.  167 

mament  by  sea  and  land  ;  and  the  patri- 
clan  in  his  turn  was  compelled  to  evacu- 
ate the  post  and  fortiii cations  of  GarthagCo 
'A  second  battle  was  fought  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood  of  Utica  :  the  Greeks  andGoths 
were  again  defeated  ;  and  their  timely  em- 
barkation saved  them  from  the  sword  of 
Hassan  who  had  invested  the  slight  and  in- 
suihGient  rampart  of  their  camp.  What- 
ever yet  remained  of  Carthage,  v;as  deliv- 
ered  to  the  fiames,  and  the  colony  of  Di- 
do and  Caesar  lay  desolate  above  two  hun- 
dred years,  till  apart,  perhr.ps  a  twentieth, 
of  the  old  circumference  was  repeopled  by 
the  first  of  the  Fatimite  caliphs.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  se- 
cond capital  cf  the  West  was  represented 
by  a  moschj  a  college  witliout  students, 
twenty-five  or  thirty  shopSi  and"  the  huts 
of  live  hundred  peasants,  ^vha' in  their  ab-- 
ject  poverty,  displayed  the  arrogance  ofth-e 
Punic  srnators.^  Even  that  paltry  village 
was  swept  away  by'the  Spaniard'^  whom 
Gharles  the  Fifth  had  stationed  in  the  for- 
tress  of  Goletta.  The  ruins  of  Carthage 
have  perished;  and  the  place  m/ight  be  uii^ 
known  it  some  broken  arches  of  an  aqt:  '^ 


lO-:i  I  HE   ilf  £   OF   MAIiuMi.Tt 

'l\i:i  did  not  guide  the  footsteps  of  the  in'- 
quisitive  travellero 

The  Greeks  were  expelled,  but  tht  A= 
r>ib'.ans  vrere  not  yet  masters  of  the  coun- 
'f.ry.  In  the  interior  provinces  the  Moors 
or  Berbers,  so  feeble  under  the  first  Cae- 
sars, so  formidable  to  the  Byzantine  prin- 
ces, maintained  a  disorderly  resistance  to 
the  religion  and  pouter  of  the  successors  of 
Mahomet,  Under  the  standard  of  their 
queen  Gahina  the  indepeixlant  tribes  ac- 
quired some  degree  of  union  and  disci- 
pline; and  as  the  Moors  respected  in  their 
females  the  character  of  a  prophetess,  they 
attacked  the  invaders  vnui  an  enthusiasm 
sinrilar  to  their  own.  The  veteran  bands 
of  ILissan  were  inadequate  to  the  defence 
of  Africa;  the  ccnquests  of  an  a2:e  were 
lost  in  a  single  day  ;  and  the  Arabian 
chief,  o^'erwheimed  by  the  torrent,  retired 
to  the  confines  of  Egypt,  and  expected; 
-ve  years,  the  promised  succours  of  the 
aliph.  After  the  retreat  of  the  Saracens^ 
il-e  victorious  p?-ophetess  assembled  the 
3Ioovi.^h  cliich^j  and  recomincndcd  a  mea- 
sUiC  of  strange  and  savage  pchcy.  ''  Our 
''  cities/ '  said  she,  "•  and  the  «;oid  and  bil- 


THE  LIJE  OF  MAKOMilT. 


i€9 


*'ver  which  tliey  contain,  perpetually  at^^ 
**  tract  the  arms  of  the  Arabs.  These 
^'  vile  metals  are  not  the  object  of  our  am- 
*4^ition  ;:v/e  content  ourselves  with  the 
*  *  simple  productions  of  the  earth.  Let 
'*  us  destroy  these  cities  ;  let  us  bury  in 
'*  their  ruins  those  pernicious  trcc^sures  ;  ■ 
*'  and  when  the  avarice  of  our  fees  shall  be 
*'  destitute  of  temptation-, perhaps  they  Vv  ill 
**  cease  to  disturb  the  tranquility  of  a  war' 
'*  like  people.'^  The  proposal  was  accep- 
ted with  an  unanimous  applause.  From 
Tangier  to  Tiipoli  the  buiidrngs,  or  at 
least  the  fortifications,  v/eie  demolished, 
the  fruit-trees  wei^e  cut  do  v. n,  the  means 
of  subsistence  were  extirpated,'':  fertile  and 
populous  garden. \ras  chrngcd  into  a  de- 
sert, and  the  historians  of  a  nK.re  recent 
period  could  discern  the  frequent  ti'aecs  of 
the  prosperity  and  devastation  of  their  an^ 
ceston;.  S^i''h  is  the.  tale  of  the  [nodeni 
Arabians.  Yet  I  strongly  susjicct  that 
their  ignorance  of  antiquity,  the  love  of 
the  mai'vellcus,  ana  the  fashion  of  extol- 
h:c^-te  nhiiosop'iv  of  B:.ibarians,  has  in- 
(  :  ■  I  >  :- :;-!  ■'-  '..^oii-jc,  as  one  voluntary 
Uiree  hundred  3'ears 


%;  Jli'.i'- 


170  THE  LIFE  OF  MAHOMET^.    * 

since  the  first  fury  of  the  Donatists  and 
Vandals.  In  the  progiess  of  the  revolt 
Cahina  had  xnost  probably  contributed  her 
share  of  destruction  ;  and  the  alarm  of  un- 
iversal ruin  might  terrify  and  alienate  the 
citic'j  that  had  rehictantly  yielded  to  her 
unworthy  yoke.  They  no  longer  hoped, 
perhaps  they  no  longer  v\'ished,  the  return 
ox  their  Byzantxie  sovereigns  :  their  pre- 
sent servitude  was  not  alleviated  by  the 
Dcnelits  of  order  and  justice  ;  and  the  most 
zealous  Catholic  mast  prefer  the  imperfect 
truths  of  the  Koran  to  the  blind  and  pjde 
idolatry  of  the  Moors,  The  general  of 
the  Saracens  was  arain  rcceived  as  the  sa-- 
viour  of  the  province  :  the  friends  of  civil 
society  conspired  against  the  savages  of 
the  land  ;  and  the  royal  prophetess  was 
slain  in  the  iirst  battle  which  overturned' 
the  baseless  fabric  of  her  superstition  and 
empire.  The  same  spirit  revived  under 
the  successor  of  Hassan  :  it  was  finally 
quelled  by  the  activity  of  Musa  and  his' 
L wo  sons;  but  the  number  of  tlie  rebels 
may  be  presumed  from  that  of  three  hun- 
dred thorisand  captives  ;  sixty  thousand 
ofwhom;  the  caliph's  fifth,,  v.xvc  sold  for 


THE   LIPE  OF  MAHOMET,  171 

the  profit  of  the  pv^blio  treasur}\  Thirty 
•thousand  of  the  B^irbarian  youth  were  en- 
listed ill  the  troops  ;  and  the  p"'_U3  labours 
of  Musa  to  hicnlcate  the  khowcdgc  ard 
practice  of  the  Koran  aecuitorned  the  liS- 
ricans  to  obey  the  apos^'e  of  God  and  the 
commander  of  the  fvilthiuL  In  their  C'i- 
mate  and  government,  their  diet  and  habit- 
ation, the  wandering  Moors  resembled  the 
Bedoweens  o'  the  desert.  With  the  re- 
ligion, they  were  proud  to  adopt  the  ian- 
g-.iage,  name,  and  origin  of  Arabs  :  the 
bio  >d  of  the  strangere  lind  natives  was  in- 
sensibly ndiigled  ;  and  from  the  Euphrates 
to  the  Atlavitic  the  same  nation  might 
5eem  to  be  diffused  over  the  sandy  plains 
«^)f  Asia  and  Africa.  Yet  I  will  not  deny 
that  fifty  thousand  tenti?-  of  pure  Arabians 
might  be  transported  over  the  Nile,  and 
scattered  through  the  Libian  desert  ;  and 
I  am  not  ignorrant  that  five  of  the  Moorish 
tribes  still  retain  their  barbarous  idiom, 
with  the  appellation  and  character  of  u/?fVf 
Africans. 

THE  EN0^ 


3 


BP75.G43 

The  life  of  Mahomet,  with  sketches  of 

iminii^r  "'"^^°'°9ical  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00006  6615 


